The Long Dead Past
by Krusty
Summary: A New History of Magic Professor arrives at Hogwarts with books, an enthusiasm for teaching, and a strange aversion to Severus Snape. Could it have anything to do with the secret she's been keeping?? FINISHED!!!!!
1. The Beginning

Don't own anything recognisable from JK Rowling's Harry Potter books.

(A/N Any part in Italics are flashback.) The Long Dead Past. 

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**Chapter 1.**

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**The Beginning.**

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It was a long journey by train to Hogwart's and Katrina Phaon, substitute History of Magic Professor while Sirius was on his honeymoon, wished that she had just apparated there. 

"Every bump we go over is like going over a mountain on a spike." She muttered wryly to herself. "Why didn't I just get thrown off by that…"? She was lost for words. "Man." She ended her statement not as firmly as she would have hoped.

She remembered back when she climbed aboard the train.

"In the hours before I discovered what pain, and travel sickness was really like." She muttered.

 She had been disturbed to find a tall ugly, well she would like to say man confronting her. 

"Ticket?" He had said rudely. 

Shakily she had handed over the letter that Dumbledore had given her to help her get on the train. 

"Ahhh!" He grinned widely; Katrina was not sure whether she preferred the grin or the scowl on his face.  

"You'll be taking over from Sirius then! Lovely couple him and Pat! On a years honeymoon to…" He stopped and scratched his head, and Katrina could have sworn that she saw a mouse fall from his big bushy hair. "Now, was it Europe or…" He muttered to himself for five minutes, running through all the countries of the world. "Never mind! I'm Hagrid!"

He had grasped her hand firmly and shook it.

"Keeper of the Grounds, and Professor. I teach Care of Magical Creatures." At this point he leaned in closer to her. "If at any point you need advice in teaching come to me! I'll help." Katrina resisted the urge to laugh in his face. 

"You're lucky this year! I'm not usually here, see! Some of last years first years didn't know how to get through the barrier, or got muddled up when they did. I'm here to keep control." 

A young boy and his bags crashed into a girl's luggage cart after running through a wall. "You'd better get aboard! We'll soon be there!"

When she had reached an empty compartment in the train, she had drawn all the blinds down, locked the door, and checked around to see if there was anything suspicious. Then finally after she was content with her safety she relaxed.

She had tried to read but the motion of the train just made her feel ill. Deciding that sleeping was a preferable activity to apparating a bowl and being violently sick, she quietly dozed off….

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

_"Fay! What are you doing?"_

_Fay Devlin looked up from the novel she was reading and could see her mother coming towards her._

_"He'll be here soon, and what are you doing? Reading a bloody book again! Books won't get you far in this world! Look at the state of you. You're not even dressed!"_

_Fay looked at her mother. "I have no interest in becoming a brood mare for one of daddy's friends." She spat out the word Daddy in disgust, her eyes narrowed at the fourth glass of martini in her mother's hand._

_"I'm warning you young lady, you had better be on your best behaviour for the party or else!" Delora Devlin opened the door banging it against the wall. "And you had better get ready! I bought you that red dress, so wear it!"_

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

Katrina woke up suddenly; sweat running down her face as she recalled that night. Shakily she took her compact mirror out of her bag and checked her appearance. Her soft brown hair curled under just below her chin, the fringe that the Muggle hairdresser had said would be a good idea, was stuck to her forehead with sweat. She blinked and her vision swam. 

"Stupid, bloody things." She muttered to her mirror as she took the solution out of her bag and carefully washed her blue tinted contact lenses. Putting them back in again would only harm her eyes, she decided as the stinging started to die down, so she dug in her bag again and took out the small rectangular tinted prescription glasses she had bought. They would hide her bright green eyes until she put the contacts back in again. Feeling adventurous she opened the blinds to the outside window a crack. A green and brown blur was all she was confronted with. Closing the blind she was surprised to find that the travel sickness had gone, replacing it was pangs of hunger. She looked in her bag, and was confronted with empty chocolate frog wrappers and an old carrot she had cut up as a snack. Wrinkling her nose in dismay she decided to find food elsewhere. She left her belongings in one of the cubbyholes above her head and, magically locking the cabin behind her, she headed in the direction she hoped the food would be.

"Watch out!" A small voice came from nowhere and a small girl crashed into Katrina as she was queuing for the food. A cheeky face looked up at her. It had ginger hair and freckles. 

"Sorry about that! Thanks for catching me!" It grinned. "My brothers gave me this when we were on the platform!" He held up half a pink chewy sweet. "It makes you sprint around until you stop. You don't stop until you hit something! Lucky I didn't eat all of it!"

Katrina smiled back at her distantly as two boys and a girl hurried up.

"Ginny! How many times have I told you! Don't take anything Fred and George give you!" The boy who looked exactly the same as Ginny looked at Katrina. "New Professor?" He asked her.

"I'm Professor Phaon. I'll be teaching History of Magic while Professor Black is away."

"Pleased to meet you! I'm Ron Weasley and this is Ginny my little sister." He eyed the pink sweet in Ginny's hand. "You're lucky Siri… Professor Black decided to complete the rest of the term before leaving. It means you don't have to meet Fred and George our brothers, they left last year."

Katrina looked at the kids trying to gather the information being thrown at her in all directions. "Right. You're Ron, and this is Ginny." She turned to the other two. "And you are…?"

The boy turned to the girl questioningly and shrugged. The girl spoke up. "I'm Hermione Granger, and this is Harry. Harry Potter."

Katrina's face did not flicker. She turned her assessing gaze on the boy. She could just make out the lightning shaped scar below his messy hair, and she felt the urge to scratch her left elbow, instead she just folded her arms calmly.

_'So this is the boy that everyone wants dead.' _She thought to herself.

She smiled vacantly as she always did. "Nice to meet you. What kind of food do they serve here?"

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

"She didn't do a thing! Not a thing!" Harry was sat back in the cabin of the train after stuffing both his face and his pockets with sweets. 

"What's wrong with that?" Small bits of chocolate flew out of Ron's mouth as he spoke, Hermione looked in a different direction in disgust so she wouldn't see the half chewed sweets in his full mouth.

"Well, nothing I suppose… Its just nobody else has reacted that way. Everyone either asks me a load of questions or they stare at me for ages." Harry opened another chocolate frog and groaned as another Merlin came out. "Anyone want this?"

Hermione shook her head at the card and protested at Harry's statement. "I didn't! I …" She stopped when she saw Harry's sceptical face. "Did I?"

Harry handed the card to Ron. "Yeah, you did. You asked me questions." He sighed.

"It can't be a bad thing that she didn't noticeably recognize you." Hermione tipped out her Bertie Bott's beans bag she had bought and picked out her favourites.

"No… I suppose not." Harry admitted reluctantly.

"Maybe she hasn't heard of you?" Ron looked up from counting his pile of sweets.

Harry and Hermione both looked at Ron, their faces both showing signs of disbelief and ridicule.

"Hasn't heard of him?" Hermione shrieked as Harry started pelting him with spinach-flavoured beans.

Ron backed off his hands up in defeat. "Okay! Okay! So she's probably heard of you!"

"Maybe I could check her background?" Hermione asked quietly. The walls at Hogwarts had ears and so did the train. 

Ron and Harry looked at her in surprise.

"There's a spell I've been dying to use. Aurors use it all the time to do a background check on their suspects." She looked at Harry and Ron's unconvinced faces. "What? I found it in a book."

Ron looked at her in disgust. "Did you spend all of your holidays reading books?"

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~


	2. History

Don't own anything recognisable from JK Rowling's Harry Potter books.

(A/N Again paragraphs of italics are flashbacks)

Chapter 2 

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**History.**

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Katrina winced at the caterwauling. She looked at Dumbledore and was sickened to see him waving his arms and encouraging it blissfully. The other Professors at the table were joining in – some reluctantly, others were playing it for all it was worth (Flitwick was stood on his chair, bouncing up and down spilling his tankard of drink as he swished it up and down). Trying to keep the disgust from her face she listened to the rest of the Hogwart's school song, and looked at her surroundings. 

Then suddenly the blood drained from her pale face.

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

"Something's wrong." Hermione whispered to Harry as the 1st years struggled through the last bars of the song. Harry, Hermione and Ron were almost always first to finish the song. They hated the sound of their own voices.

"Huh?" Ron was fidgeting with a fork under the table. He had magically bent it to impress the girl sitting next to him and now couldn't flatten it.

Hermione sighed and, after straightening the fork magically, continued. "The new Professor ummm… Professor Phaon. She's gone all white and she's staring at…" The colour went from Hermione's face as she traced Katrina's gaze. "I can't believe it! I simply can't believe it!"

Harry nudged Hermione as her voice became louder in alarm. "What?" He whispered.

"She's staring at Snape!"

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

****

_Fay stared at herself in the mirror and sighed in despair at what she saw. Her startling green eyes critically roamed every inch of herself to make sure that she looked respectable. God knows what her father would do to her if she weren't. Her long black hair had been washed and brushed until it shone, then two small plaits had been made from the front two strands and clipped back. Her make-up had been applied carefully, the bright red lipstick accentuating the fullness of her lips and the brown eye shadow and mascara making the most of the green eyes and good looks she had inherited from her mother. Her hands smoothed down the red dress she was wearing. _

_The Chinese-style red silk dress reached her ankles. When she stood still she was at least covered up, however when she moved, the large slits that reached up to the top of her thighs almost flashed her knickers, to remain decent she would have to take small steps. The long sleeves reached to the small bracelet she wore on her wrist. The dress also had a heart-shaped hole over her chest so, although the neckline of the dress was high, it showed off her generous cleavage, and the silver necklace with a ruby heart attached that matched her silver bracelet._

_"Like a slutty lamb to the slaughter." She murmured bitterly to her reflection._

_~*~_

_"Do you want a drink?" Evaristus Devlin offered the man in the corner. His face turned into a hideous sneer. "Or are you remaining sober for when the fun begins."_

_Evaristus was in his study with the man. There was to be a big party in celebration of the recent actions of the Death Eaters. They had discovered the hiding place of some mudbloods and after brutally torturing them, they had been killed. _

_Evaristus had other plans for the party. He had been waiting for a young pureblood man to be in Voldemort's favour for some time now. And here he was._

_The man in the corner remained silent._

_"I have a special surprise for you later on this evening." Devlin took off his outer coat, leaving his custom made black robe with red threads running up and down it. The sleeves of the robe were cut up to his elbows so every time it moved you could see the dark mark on his arm. He poured himself a drink and sat down. _

_"Our Dark Lord has been very impressed by you, and I have to say that I am too." He motioned to the other chair next to the fire in the dark study, and watched the young man as he sat down. _

_The young man nodded arrogantly._

_"Like I said I have a surprise for you. The others will be arriving shortly. If you want it then you are to socialize with them – but only for a while. When everyone has arrived, and after you have greeted them your surprise will be waiting here." Evaristus smiled, but it looked more despicable than friendly._

_"I guarantee you won't be joining us for the rest of the evening…" _

_~*~_

_Fay waited nervously in the study. She knew exactly what she was to do. Her mother had made sure of that before she joined the orgy that occurred every week._

_"You are to be whatever he wants you to be. You are to become his mistress, and if you are good enough, his bride." Her voice slurred slightly with the amount of alcohol she had drunk._

_Fay wiped her hands on her dress. She knew the type of people that her father hung around with. Murderers, rapists. She shuddered at her imminent fate._

_She walked across to the corner of the room and sank down to the floor._

_The door clicked open. It was time._

_A man entered the room. He didn't see her because the room was dark and the corner, full of shadows. She took the time to scrutinize him. _

_At least he was young, unlike many of the men her father would have forced upon her. He had a long black robe on that hid most of his body. It was cut in a way that hid his figure, so she couldn't see if he was muscled or flaccid. He had stringy black hair that looked as if it needed a wash, and a hooked nose. His eyes looked black in the darkness as he inspected the room._

_Seeing nothing in the study he turned to go. _

_Knowing that her father would punish her severely, and that she would only delay the inevitable she stood up slowly._

_"I…" Her voice cracked and she swallowed. "I believe you are expecting me."_

_The man turned slowly and focussed his assessing gaze on her. His eyebrows lifted. "Am I?" His voice, although quiet, was deep and almost caressing. She shivered under his gaze. He appraised her with his eyes._

_He walked towards her, stopping when he reached the table with a tray of bottles on it. "Drink?" He offered._

_"Yes." She tried to make her voice sound seductive. The fear was slowly being replaced by a gnawing anxiety and a feeling of excitement. _

_He held out a glass towards her. In her eagerness to get the alcohol she took a large step towards him, and then stopped as the material of her dress stroking her thighs held his interest. Trying to make smaller steps so she wouldn't show him her knickers, she accepted the drink. His fingers caressed hers as she took the glass from his hand. _

_"What's your name?" She blurted after quickly swallowing the large glass of brandy he had given her._

_His eyebrows raised in surprise as she held out her glass for more. He took the glass from her, and swallowing the drink he had made for himself he led her over to the chairs beside the fire._

_"Severus. My name is Severus Snape." He told her._

_"Oh, I'm Fay." She didn't drink often. In fact she never drank because her mother was an alcoholic. This may have explained the dizziness and the uncontrollable feeling she had. "Severus suits you doesn't it? I mean you are kinda severe and your name is Severus…" She trailed off._

_Feeling cold she pushed herself off the chair and sat on the rug on the floor beside the fire. She could feel his gaze still burning into the back of her head._

_She turned around and edged closer to him. She was sat at his knees, her face at the same level of his chest. If she had been sober, she would have been mortified to know that he had a direct view of her breasts through the heart opening in her dress. Her eyes widened as she saw the darkness of his eyes._

_He growled suddenly, and lunging for her he imprisoned her lips with his. His hands cupped her breasts, and stroked them. Then moved around to hold her back as he lowered her onto the rug. His tongue slid between her lips and probed her mouth harshly. His hands had had enough of her chest and moved downward to the slit in her dress. He broke off the kiss long enough to look at her._

_She sat up slightly and run her hands up and down his chest. It wasn't flabby at all, I t was muscular. He obviously kept fit. She ran kisses all over his face, but he pushed her down onto the carpet._

_"Severus!" She shrieked. _

_She floated down to earth as he stood up. "Where are you going?" She asked. _

_He turned around to her. His eyes were dead. "I'm missing the party, and so are you."_

_She frowned at him, pushing at her dress to cover herself. "But…?"_

_"Evaristus chose a good one." He said sardonically. "Where did he find you?" He marched over to her and held her face, there would be bruises there in the morning. "I'm surprised any woman would voluntarily offer herself to any of these people. How much is he paying you to bed me?" He asked digging in a pocket and retrieving a wad of money._

_She slapped away his hand from her face and stood up._

_"You've misunderstood him." She laughed harshly in his face. "I wasn't a gift for you. You were a gift for me. I'm his daughter Fay Devlin. You're the prospective son-in-law."_

_Severus looked at her, his blank expression turning into one of fury. "What?"_

_"You heard me." The alcohol was wearing off and she became sober._

_His eyes narrowed menacingly and he stalked from the room._

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

"Professor Phaon?" Dumbledore asked her again. "Is the food okay? You haven't touched a thing!"

She retreated from her past suddenly. "I'm not feeling too well. If its okay with you I'm just going to go to bed early."  
Dumbledore looked at her in sympathy. "Of course my dear. I shall tell the others not to bother you."

Katrina left the hall in a state of shock and fear. She only felt marginally better when she reached her room and put a lock on her door.

"Severus Snape!" She gasped to herself, and sunk onto her bed.  Then something occurred to her.

"Does Albus know he was a Death Eater?"

Her heart sunk. She couldn't ask Dumbledore without drawing his attention to her past. 

She stood up and made her way to the bathroom. Her hands gripped the sink as she stared into the mirror. "I don't look like her. I don't look like her." She repeated to herself.

She was violently sick into the sink then looking at herself again she decided to keep an eye on Severus.

She cleaned the sink magically and gargled to get rid of the unpleasant taste in her mouth, and then she headed to bed.

She still couldn't admit to herself her greatest secret. 

She had felt a wave of excitement looking at him.

A/N

Hiya All!!!

Thanks to all who reviewed (**Kes**, **Penance**, **Kamilah**, and **Martha**), or read and didn't review!!!

I hope this is lives up to expectations.


	3. Gryffindor vs Slytherin

Don't own anything recognisable from JK Rowling's Harry Potter books.

Chapter 3 

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**Gryffindor vs. Slytherin.**

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She was looking at him again.

It had been the fifth time that morning that Severus had caught her looking at him.

It wasn't as if he was particularly attractive and she was staring in awe at him.

Her eyes were narrowed in disapproval when she looked at him. He glared in her direction again and caught her eyes; she shifted in her seat and continued the conversation with Flitwick.

Severus mumbled something inaudibly, but equally as derogatory.

 "What did you say Severus?" Professor McGonagall turned to him.

"Nothing of any importance to you Minerva." He narrowed his eyes at the new Professor again as he caught her glance. 

"She seems interested in you. Do you know her?" 

Severus looked at her. She had brown hair and bright blue eyes. Her sky-blue robes didn't quite fit her, they were a bit on the large size, but he could still make out her shapely curves under them. She seemed familiar but he wasn't going to admit that. He had seen a lot of people in his life, and her face wasn't unlike most of the girls he had known.

"No. I don't know her." 

McGonagall started to say something more but he cut her off with a sharp glare.

"I said I don't know her. I have no interest _in _knowing her. I would like it if I could just sit here in _silence_. Understand?"

McGonagall shrugged and moved away from him.

Dumbledore started the meeting. In respect Severus kept half an ear on it, the other half was in deep concentration for what punishments he would deal out today. 

Neville's class would be given a exceptionally hard potion to do. Maybe something to do with reversing a spell… maybe he would turn Neville into a pig and see if his reversal potion would work….

"…Don't you think Professor Snape?" Dumbledore intruded on his thoughts.

Severus looked up at him and glared slightly. He still owed Dumbledore his life so he was indebted, but he didn't consider Albus to be a friend. 

"… Lets continue." Dumbledore coughed and went on with his speech. "Lastly I would like to welcome Professor Katrina Phaon. She will be here for a year while Sirius is away."

Flitwick smiled heartily and tapped Professor Phaon's shoulder, Sprout and Hooch waved enthusiastically, McGonagall smiled, and Lupin, who had remained the DADA teacher, nodded and mouthed, "Welcome". (Dumbledore sent out a letter saying any parent who complained could come in and have a parent-teacher meeting with him. (Who wanted a parent-teacher meeting with a werewolf?) Or their kids could be taught DADA by Snape. (Needless to say many students convinced their parents that they could cope with Lupin!)). Severus was the only person not to take action.

Professor Phaon glared at him. She obviously noticed that he wasn't greeting her. 

"Who cares!" He muttered to himself and glared back. He invented the glare, and he wasn't about to get beaten by his own creation.

Dumbledore, noticing the tension between them coughed again. "Yes… well we've welcomed Katrina, so lets get to work."

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

Katrina's first class was hell. The Slytherins couldn't be controlled, and the Gryffindors were almost as bad. The Slytherins started to pelt the Gryffindors with paper, and the Gryffindors – being proud retaliated with force. In the end she resorted to violence. Of the magic variety.

The students only realised that she had done anything when they started to float.

Their chairs slowly left the floor leaving the tables behind them. Many of the students had to put their hands on the ceiling to stop them from banging their heads.

She wasn't usually prone to violence, but after the events of yesterday she was willing to give cruelty a try.

"Right! I don't care about what you've been taught here, but I expect you to know manners!! Now am I going to leave you up there or are you going to calm down and we'll continue teaching!" She yelled at them in an rare show of emotion.

"Is everything okay in here?" The silky snarl floated through the door.

Katrina didn't need to turn and look who was in the door. 

_'Typical, just typical. It had to be him didn't it.' _She fumed in her head.

"Professor Snape… Everything is fine. Thankyou for asking." Turning to face him she jutted her chin out and glared at him, daring him to say anything. "If you don't mind I have a class to teach. Goodbye!"

His facial expression didn't change at all, but somehow she could tell that he was insulted by the concise way she had dismissed him. She couldn't give a damn, and that's exactly what her expression showed him momentarily.

Her attention returned to the class and she put them back on the floor.

"Now lets get back to learning, shall we?… The great war…"

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

"I'm afraid that you cannot go around using magic on students."

Katrina was in Dumbledore's office. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. 

Obviously Professor Snape had told on her! The creep!! Pushing her rage into a tight ball inside her she spoke politely to Dumbledore.

"I'm sorry, I had no idea. I should have known you would have had a policy on this. It will not happen again."

She left the office in a rage.

Snape stalked down the corridor past her and Katrina marched after him.

"Professor Snape!" She said tersely. Snape whirled and faced her.

Severus' face turned into a grotesque kind of smirk. He was enjoying seeing this new woman squirm, but he didn't know why.

"I would appreciate it if in the future you would confront me first without running behind my back like a coward. Understand?"

She turned around and started marching in the other direction.

He grabbed her wrist to stop her from leaving. Her hand went white through the lack of blood with the forceful grip. "Coward?!?" His eyes narrowed dangerously at her as she spun round. "I did _not_ go behind your back! If you knew some of the stuff I have done!" He started in a deadpan, but deadly tone of voice.

She looked at him dead in the eye. "What stuff?" 

He stopped dead. 

"I said what stuff?" She confronted him.

"I wouldn't ask that if I were you. I might tell you one day, and it will give you nightmares." He turned around and continued to stalk down the corridor, his black robes trailing behind him like a cape.

She growled after him.

"Wow! That was tense!" A small voice came from behind a painting. She spun around to see Ron's face peeping from behind a painting of some fruit.

"How did you….?" Katrina watched as Ron, Harry, and Hermione all appeared from behind the painting.

Harry grinned at her. "We know if Snape catches us its at least 50 points from Gryffindor for sure! There are loads of hiding places like this all around Hogwarts. Didn't you go here?"

Katrina shook her head and watched amused as Ron jumped up and down.

"I can't believe you just confronted Snape!" He continued his frenzied dance. "Did you see her? Wow! That'll be in my head in every potion class from now on!"

Katrina frowned at the kids. "Why wouldn't I?"

Hermione looked around to check that no one else was around. "Hasn't anybody told you?" She whispered.

Ron stopped dancing and looked serious, Harry looked at her intently.

"Told me what?" She responded. Maybe they knew about his past. If they knew then Dumbledore would know.

"He…" Hermione sent Harry and Ron to check down the corridor before she continued. "He was a Death Eater."

"Really?" So they did know. "They still let him teach here then?"

Harry was behind Katrina and looked at her in horror. Hermione shrugged and continued.

"Yes, you see… He acted as a spy for Professor Dumbledore. They informed the ministry when anything was about to happen. They…"

Katrina was so shocked by this information that she didn't hear what else Hermione said. This was unlike the Severus Snape she had met all that time ago.

"Are you okay Professor Phaon?" Harry was talking to her. 

"Yes.. I'm fine Harry. You should probably be in class, or something." She focussed on the outside world for a change.

They looked at her strangely then ran off. A chorus of "See you!" echoed down the hall.

So Severus betrayed Voldemort did he? Dumbledore had forgiven him. But he couldn't forgive her. 

Could he?

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

Author's Notes 

**Little message from Squirrel (of Martha and Squirrel) who is uploading this chapter:**

Sorry that it took a long time to upload this chapter but I've only just got the message from Krusty, my sister, to do it! I hope we haven't traumatised you too much! ;-)

Special Thanks to:

My partner in crime Martha, the queen of rotten reviews! Sorry, mate. Krusty loves you too.

Mrs Grim – we love you too! When are you going to post the next chapter of 'Like the Books'? L 

I promise I will try and post more regularly for Krusty.

Love,

Squirrel. xxx.


	4. The Death Eater

I am SO sorry for this!!! As most of you may know I have been without the internet for 6 months relying on (what turned out to be an unreliable) source to post my story and snail mail me any reviews, needless to say that didn't turn out so well!!

From now on I hope to post at least every 2 weeks (depending on far I get, and whether I can get online!! (Phone bills could go through the roof!!)) I beg you PLEASE keep reading! 

Thanks.

Krusty xxx.

Don't own anything recognisable from JK Rowling's Harry Potter books.

**Chapter 4**

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**The Death Eater.**

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"Did you see her?" Harry, Ron and Hermione had reached their common room without seeing Snape. Harry had dragged them to a quiet corner and whispered fiercely. "We told her he was a Death Eater and she didn't move a muscle!"

"You're not on about this again are you?" Ron rolled his eyes in his head. He had only just convinced Harry and Hermione that doing a background investigation on a new teacher wouldn't be a good idea – and they were at it again!!

"Her reaction was a bit strange. You have to admit that Ron." Hermione intervened into Ron's thoughts with her usual logic.

"You were just like this last year!" Ron accused Harry. Hermione looked at him in shock and hit his hand. Wincing slightly he continued. "You wouldn't believe Pat was here to help either!"

Hermione shook her head warningly, but Ron continued his argument. 

"Professor Phaon hasn't done anything to harm Harry, or any of us has she? No, she hasn't! You deserve as normal a life as possible Harry! Don't do this spell."

"But what if she is after Harry…"?

"You're supposed to be the brainy one!" Ron exclaimed to Hermione. "You know the one that sucks up to the teachers, not the suspicious type!"

"I do not suck up!" Hermione frowned. "And I don't trust _all _the teachers."

"Yeah right…"

"Ok! When have I been…"?

"Gilderoy Lockheart! …"

Hermione turned away from Ron's record of her mistakes, unwilling to surrender to him. Instead she looked at Harry, and immediately regretted arguing with Ron.

Harry looked upset. He hadn't heard Ron and Hermione's argument; he had been in a world of his own.

"… and you didn't believe … OUCH!" Ron rubbed at his arm were Hermione had just pinched him. "What!" He yelled.

She motioned to Harry, still involved his troubled thoughts.

"Harry? Are you okay?" Hermione asked softly. Harry didn't respond.

Ron nudged him in the arm. "What's up?"

Harry shook his head and looked at them. "I can't help but remember last term when Professor Trelawney tried to kill me. What if Voldemort has sent someone else?"

Hermione made her mind up and, avoiding Ron's gaze, said. "It'll take me a couple of weeks to get the ingredients together. We'll do the spell for her background then."

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

So she thought he was a coward then?

Snape stalked back to his potions room. 

"Twenty points from Gryffindor! I see you behind that pillar! If you don't move now it will be One Hundred!" He brushed past the startled group huddled behind a post.

_'I am not a coward' _He thought savagely.

A group of students walking behind him fell into a heap in an effort to avoid Severus as he stopped suddenly.

_'Why is she on my mind?'_  "Twenty points from Hufflepuff for walking too close to me!" He glared at the students scattering from him. _'I've heard worse insults!'_ He thought as he continued walking. People's faces flashed through his head, people begging, people insulting, even those who tried to bribe him, they all mixed together to form one big blur. He felt remorse for them, but he couldn't change their deaths as much as he could change his situation 

He approached his classroom and tried to forget the words she had said to him. He had a class to teach. 

Severus had already taught the first years of Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. This made them wary as they walked into his classroom. His was the only room where the pupils went from loud and rowdy to silent and anxious in a second.

Severus appeared to be standing at his desk flicking through a spell book, but if anyone had looked at him closely, they would have seen that he was studying the students as they walked in. Over the years he had perfected his judgment. With one glance he could see what each pupil was thinking. 

_'So, Grant Livery hasn't done his homework again!' _He thought disdainfully. 

This made him the first target for the afternoon.

"Mr Livery!" The silky snarl floated around the classroom. The boy stiffened and looked at his desk, unwilling to look Severus in the eye. "Have you completed that assignment?"

"Uhhhh… umm…" The Hufflepuff boy turned an alarming shade of red as he stammered.

"Well Mr Livery?"

"I… umm… I couldn't do it." The classroom was more silent than usual (if that's possible) and everyone was facing Grant. The Hufflepuffs were sympathising with the boy, while the Ravenclaws were looking down their noses at the boy who hadn't done his homework. At the same time they were all incredibly grateful that Severus wasn't targeting them.

"You couldn't do it?" Severus parodied the boy sardonically. "And might I ask why?"

"Ummm… well… I…" The boy mumbled at the floor.

Severus glowered at Grant Livery. "Ten points from Hufflepuff!" He swung round to face the board. Grant sank down in relief, but Severus wasn't finished.

"…And if you don't give me a believable excuse by the end of the day, you will be in detention for a week!"

The Hufflepuffs sat beside Grant shared compassionate looks with the boy, but no one dared to speak to him.

"Right!" Severus turned to face them suddenly, glaring and putting his hands on the spell book stand near his desk. "Who here knows how to make……." 

 After his students had left he crossed his room and went to his desk. Opening the bottom drawer, he sunk into his chair and grabbed an old worn notebook.

He picked up an old quill he kept in his drawer and scratched his head. Eventually he began to write and murmured exultantly as he did.

"That was 120 points from Hufflepuff today." He wrote down a list of names and total points lost. 

"90 points from Ravenclaw. 10 points from Slytherin." He frowned when he remembered Helga Rander's behaviour during Dumbledore's pre-dinner speech. He hated taking points from Slytherin, but when Dumbledore was present, and Helga had been whispering so loud. 

"120 points… no 170 points from Gryffindor today! I almost forgot Neville's experiment."

A ghost of a smile – if you could call it that – crossed his face. He had made the Gryffindors make a potion to reduce boils for Madam Pomfrey. He remembered Neville's face when instead of removing the boils Severus had conjured onto his face; the potion he had made turned his skin yellow and his eyes red.

He frowned when he looked at the notebook. "Bit of a slow week for Potter and Weasley." His face twisted as he thought up many different plans to take points away from Gryffindor.

"Maybe I could set them a particularly difficult potion to do…" He mused harshly. 

He shook his head angrily, that had been done before.

His usually blank expression turned into one of complete concentration, not since his student days and the feud with James Potter had he spent so much time planning a punishment.

A soft knock from his door interrupted his thoughts. He scowled; he didn't have another lesson that day. 

_'Whoever it is it had better not be a student.' _ He thought savagely.

"Enter!" He yelled not at all welcoming. He kept writing in his notebook, and then after a while looked up.

The door had swung open, but no one had entered the room. Looking through the gap in the doorframe, he was surprised to see Katrina Phaon, the new History of Magic teacher at the door.

She was looking straight ahead at the fireplace on the far wall.

"What?!" He snarled, but not as savagely as normal. Dumbledore had asked him to be kinder to the new teacher, and as he respected Dumbledore he had said he would tone down the glacial welcome. He would be polite – but not welcoming. He looked at her, and was displeased to see her still stood in the doorway. After putting his notebook back in the drawer he moved over to her like a panther stalking his prey. He assumed an air of indifference. 

"What do you want?"

She swallowed, and he could see a fight going on in her emotionless face. After a while of him looking at her she took a deep breath, stiffened her frame and went for it.

"I would like to apologise."

He looked at her incredulously, but shuttered his emotions quickly. "Yes…?"

"I would like to apologise for calling you a …" The words stuck in her throat, but she managed to say them. "Coward."

"Well, well, well." He walked over to the nearest desk and sat on it. Folding his arms he looked up at her his face the usual detached mask, but his eyes burning with triumph. 

She turned to go. 

"Wait!" He commanded.

She looked back at him sullenly. Her face reminded him of Draco Malfoy's when Potter had been made the Gryffindor seeker.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" He asked smoothly and deviously.

"I don't believe so." She bit back at him, but her body was tensed with adrenalin. She was in a position so if he tried to go near her she could run. He noted this with interest.

"You haven't really apologised to me, have you?"

She stiffened, her eyes flashed fire momentarily, but she regained her calm composure. 

"I apologise for my inappropriate comments."

Before he could say a word she hastily left his classroom and strode down the corridor.

He glowered at her back as she left him. She was really infuriating.

_'She knew I wouldn't accept her apology.' _He thought acerbically, and that annoyed him.

Going back to his desk he sat on his chair glaring at the door. He was known for his foul moods and he was in one now.

His mood lifted suddenly and if he had been prone to laughing he would have. He had found a way to take points away from Harry!

He was refereeing a Quiddich match tomorrow…

Gryffindor vs. Slytherin.

A/N

Thanks again for everyone putting up with me!!

Alexgray:

Thanks for the uplifting comments.


	5. Overdue Homework

Don't own anything recognisable from JK Rowling's Harry Potter books.

Chapter 5 

****

**Overdue Homework.**

****

"Come on ref!! What are you? Blind??" Lee Jordan's younger brother Josh screamed down the microphone. "Foul!!! That was a Slytherin foul!"

The crowd started chanting. "FOUL! FOUL!".

But Severus ignored it, mentally taking notes of the Gryffindors that were screaming the loudest. They would have a bit of a shock the next time he taught them. He would make them pay.

He swooped up to the middle of the pitch, giving a Slytherin chaser the quaffle.

He had seen the Slytherin Beater take a swipe at Harry Potter, and then move directly in front of him when the snitch had appeared momentarily. He would tell the boy off later, but not in front of Potter or the Gryffindors. 

"**Gryffindor Score**!! Yeah!! Shove that in your pipe and smoke it Snape!! Uhhhh…. Sorry Professor!" The loud voice of Josh cut into Severus' thoughts. 

"Damn!" Severus muttered under his breath. Many of the parents of the students in Slytherin had approached Severus and told him, in no uncertain terms, that they wanted Slytherin to win the Quidditch Cup and the House Cup.

"No chance of that happening." Severus muttered again, and flew over to separate the Slytherin Keeper and the Gryffindor Chaser, who had started to argue. 

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

"Well done Harry!"

"Yeah! Good job!"

The congratulations echoed down the corridor as Ron, Harry and Hermione walked down the hallway towards their lesson.

"I don't understand it!" Hermione exclaimed frustratedly.

Ron and Harry stopped dead. 

"Did she just say what I think she said?" Ron asked in an exaggerated shocked tone.

"What?… Oh. Stop being stupid." Hermione narrowed her eyes at Ron as he and Harry shared conspiratory grins. "What I mean is I get high grades and earn Gryffindor points. Harry catches the snitch and earns points for Gryffindor, and if you mathematically split the points between the other players he earns about the same as me… So why don't people cheer me as we walk down the corridor?" 

Ron gave a big snore and pretended to wake up. "Sorry, did you say something? I fell asleep when you said "mathematically"!"

She punched him in the arm and looked at Harry. "Well…"?

Harry shrugged. "I don't know!"

"Probably because not many people find schoolwork fun like you, whereas Quidditch! Gosh! Quidditch is…" He began a lengthy talk on his favourite subject, the teams, the trick shots, the players…

Harry fell behind Ron slightly and grabbed Hermione's bag from behind making her stop too. 

They watched, shaking in silent laughter, as Ron continued walking down the corridor, and turned the corner.

They could still hear him talking as he accidentally walked into the girls bathroom. 

They couldn't contain their hilarity as they heard Moaning Myrtle saying.

"Well… I prefer Hockey."

Ron's flaming face appeared and he walked swiftly down the corridor towards Harry and Hermione who were doubled up in laughter, gasping for breath as they wiped the tears from their eyes. 

"Sorry!" Harry said when he had caught his breath. "I just couldn't help it!"

Ron glared at Harry, his face going an even deeper shade of red as Myrtle came flying out of the bathroom.

"You've dropped your books in there!" She lowered her voice as Ron rushed back to get his stuff. "You haven't come to the bathroom recently. Do you not have another problem to solve? I can help! I _did_ find the chamber of secrets!"

Hermione stared at Myrtle in disbelief, but Harry came up with a plan.

"We suspect that Professor Phaon is not who she says she is. We need two things. One, if you could watch her and tell us what she does. And two, we're going to need supplies for a secret spell we're working on. We may need you to distract Snape nearer the time. We'll tell you when…"

"Mr Weasley!" The harsh sound of Filch's voice came around the corner. "I presume you have a good reason for being in the girls' lavatories?"

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

Katrina had been in the back of the bleachers keeping an eye on the Slytherins while Severus was refereeing the Quidditch match. It wasn't a job teachers sought for, but Albus seemed to think that the Slytherins were somewhat in awe of her since she performed the spell on them. 

This explained her tiredness as she headed towards her rooms. 

"I'm _never_ doing that again." She grumbled to herself as she headed up the stairs.

She had just about enough time to collect a couple of books she was reading before she had to teach her next class. Entering her room she gave a sigh of relief and leaned back against the now shut door she had just used. 

She rotated her shoulders and winced. A friend she had once had had given her a massage once, she really wanted to repeat the experience now. She laughed harshly as she pictured what the other Professors' faces would look like if she asked them. 

Severus' stuck in her mind. 

Growling at herself and her stupidity, she retrieved the well-worn books from the pile on the dresser beside her bed. Lady Chatterley's Lover and Frankenstein. 

"Shows my mental state." She grumbled.

She rubbed the back of her hand against her forehead and recalled the Slytherins' behaviour towards her and wondered about what could have been. 

What could have been back then……

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

"I can't believe you got a week's detention just for being in the girls' loos!" Hermione exclaimed.

It was later in the day and they were all sat down at the banquet table. They had just finished their meal, and were about to leave. 

Filch had taken Ron straight to the nearest teacher to dole out the punishment. Luckily for Ron it hadn't been Severus. Professor McGonagall had been amused by Ron's predicament, but agreed with Filch that Ron shouldn't have been in there in the first place.

"And I have to polish those bloody trophies again." Ron complained. "As if they get dirty in this place. Couldn't they come up with some sort of dust repelling spell? You would have thought that …"

"What is up with him?" Harry asked distracted from the conversation by Grant Livery, a first year in Hufflepuff. Grant was stood at the door of the room, waving "subtly" at Harry. By subtly I mean he had his elbow stuck against his chest and he was waving his hand furiously. When he gained Harry's (and the rest of the school's) attention he moved his head to one side and widened his eyes.

"I think he wants to talk to you." Hermione said dryly.

Harry got up from the table and made his way towards Grant. Ron and Hermione followed, but kept their distance, many people wanted to talk just to Harry.

"I have some information for you." Grant muttered from one corner of his mouth, not moving his lips while speaking. Unfortunately this meant that Harry had no idea what he said.

"What?" He asked.

"I said, I have some information for you." Grant muttered, slightly louder, but again without moving his lips. Harry just heard a louder mumble of incoherent words.

"What?!?!" He asked again.

"I said…." Grant started, but again without moving his lips.

"Look Grant…" Harry interrupted. "I understand that you don't want anyone else to hear you, but it would help if I could hear you!"

Grant's shoulders slumped. "I said, I have some information for you."

"Right that's better. Now what kind of information?"

"Well… I was on my way back to Snape's room, cos I didn't do my homework. He told me to come back with an excuse, and I had one! I was in the infirmary after falling off my broomstick. You see I'm not as good on a broom as you! You're great! I wish I could fly like you. I hope to play Quidditch for Hufflepuff someday! Ohhhh! Could you give me some tips on…"

"Grant!" The speed in which the boy could talk was confusing Harry. "You were on your way to Snape's room, and…"?

"Oh yeah! I saw Professor Phaon coming down the corridor. I hid, cos I have homework overdue for her as well. You see I was in the infirmar…"

"You saw Professor Phaon coming down the corridor towards Snape's room and then…"?

"And then she knocked on Snape's door and apologised for calling him a coward! I wish I had been there when she called him a coward! It would have been _so_ cool! Gosh! If I'd been there maybe I …"

"_Grant!_ For god's sake!" Harry was getting frustrated. "She apologised?"

"Yep! Saw it with my own eyes!"

"Did she say anything else?"

The boy stuck his tongue out of the corner of his mouth as he thought, and finally shook his head. "Nope! She walked out of the room pretty fast tho'."

"Okay. Thanks Grant."

"You don't think she's in league with…" He lowered his voice. "…He-who-must-not-be-named?"

"I …" Harry though for a moment.

_'If I tell him yes it will be round the school in minutes.'_ He thought to himself.

"No. She's not in league with Voldemort…" Grant's eyes flared and he backed a few steps from Harry when he mentioned Voldemort's name. "…I think she's just trying to be friendly!" Harry lied through his teeth. "Don't mention this to anyone, you don't want people suspecting an innocent woman do you?"

Grant frowned, but agreed. "Okay! Anything for you Harry. Wow! I'm talking to Harry Potter! I never thought that would happen! My parents used to tell me your story every bedtime! Imagine their faces when I tell them that…"

"Great! You go and tell them now Grant. Bye now!"

When Grant had teetered off down the corridor waving furiously at Harry, he turned to Hermione and Ron.

"Did you hear that?" He asked.

"It was pretty hard not to hear! He practically told the school!" Ron said sarcastically.

"Well? What did I say? I knew there was something funny about her!" Harry told them anxiously.

"So? She only apologised to Snape! It wasn't like she pledged her life to him and offered her left arm!" Ron protested.

"We have to do the spell soon." Harry said, ignoring Ron for his own good. "If she's innocent then it shouldn't reveal anything. If there's anything dodgy then why shouldn't we know?"

Hermione nodded. "We have a spell to do, we have overdue homework."

A/N Okay!!

As promised I'm back again!! Yay!!! Before I start I just wanted to say HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! I hope you all had a good 2002, a Merry Xmas, and a fantastic New Year!!!

Thanks to JoeBob1379 for reading all 4 chapters so quickly!! I hope this one lives up to your high expectations!!!

Love to you all! And see you next week! 

Love 

Krusty

xxx.


	6. The Monster

Don't own anything recognisable from JK Rowling's Harry Potter books.  
  
Chapter 6  
  
The Monster.  
  
"Okay, so do you understand what you have to do?" Harry asked. He, Ron and Hermione were crammed into one stall of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Myrtle was floating above them. "I suppose so." Her transparent face screwed up. "It. well. it isn't really dangerous though, is it?" The three people in the room who weren't dead looked at each other and shrugged. "Well." Hermione started, but Ron cut in. "Not Dangerous?!?! Getting Snape's attention off of us isn't dangerous?" He looked at Harry with a 'Come on!' look on his face. "Of course it's dangerous!" Harry chimed in. "If it wasn't we would have asked one of the other ghosts to help us!" "Yeah!" Ron added. "Nearly-headless Nick has been clamouring for ages to help us!" "Really?" Myrtle's shape became clearer for a moment, and Harry could have sworn he saw a ghostly tear go down one of Myrtle's cheeks. "And you asked me instead?" Harry looked at Ron, who shrugged, confused by Myrtle's action. "Its obvious why we asked you! You laugh in the face of danger! Remember you were the one who found the chamber of secrets! Has Nick?" Myrtle puffed out her transparent chest like a peacock and said dramatically. "I'll do it!"  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Katrina was sat in yet another exam. Professor Black (before he left) had suggested to Albus that "mock" exams would be good for the students and the teachers. Especially in History of Magic. It meant that Katrina could determine what he hadn't taught the pupils properly (or what they didn't understand!) and then she could teach it! Unfortunately it meant lots of sitting and staring into space. 'I'd prefer to be doing something useful!' She thought grouchily. 'Like maybe teaching the students!' Sighing silently she carried on reading the old worn out book. Katrina had never liked her childhood. At the age of eleven she had run away from home. She had been found (of course) but not before she had entered the muggle library. Trying to hide from her father in a place he would hate to enter she had picked up any old book and sat in a corner of the library. She had unconsciously picked up Jane Eyre. She could still remember the moment when Mr Rochester and Jane had been reunited, when Jane had discovered that he was blind. That part still made her cry, even if it was the hundredth time she had read it. Muggle books (and occasionally wizard ones as well!) made her feel emotions. Something she thought had been drummed out of her as a baby.  
  
Lady Chatterley's Lover was sat beside her under a pile of notes. She had decided not to read that one in front of the students. Most of them wouldn't know what it was about (it being a muggle book), but she didn't want to be caught reading it anyway. Instead she was reading Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. She re-read the passage she had stopped on.  
  
" '.Life, although it may only be an accumulation of anguish, is dear to me. I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel, whom thou drivest from joy for no misdeed. Everywhere I see bliss, from which I alone am irrevocably excluded. I was benevolent and good; misery made me a fiend.' " She had never really understood the book, the complex thoughts and themes running through it, until she had met Severus. Now the book appealed to her in a bittersweet way. She frowned. This was the third time she had read the book this month. She read on.  
  
" '.Make me happy, and I shall again be virtuous.' " In the story all the monster wanted was someone to love him, and that he could love back. Katrina's mind wandered. 'I wonder.'? Suddenly she blocked out the thought that had crossed her mind. 'I'm not trying to understand Severus.' She tried to convince herself.  
  
Unsuccessfully.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
"Mr Potter! Mr Weasley! I thought I told you to do this experiment in silence?" Severus narrowed his eyes and floated towards Harry and Ron. He looked in their cauldron. "Isn't this potion supposed to be yellow?" Harry and Ron looked at the bluey-green potion they had created, then kept their eyes on their feet. "Yes sir." They said in unison. He scowled at them. 'Not since James and Sirius have I seen a more unlikely pair of wizards.' He thought sourly. "Twenty points from Gryffindor." He gazed at their down turned faces that reflected their fury and felt a pang of delight. "Without starting again, I want that potion to do exactly what it is supposed to do by the end of the lesson. A week of detentions if it doesn't! Understand?" He watched their shoulders' slump in dejection. 'They'll never get it right.' He thought, and mentally patted himself on the back for setting this potion to do just days after Gryffindor won the Quidditch match. 'I'll get the house points back one way or another.'  
  
"Neoww!!" Something whooshed past his face, and Severus just about managed to stop himself from jumping. "What the."? "Enemy target sighted! Bombs at the ready!" Moaning Myrtle had old-fashioned fighter pilot goggles (ghostly ones) around her eyes and started talking like an upper class old English gentleman. "What ho! This is jolly good fun!" She was zooming around the classroom, causing absolute havoc. "Everyone stay in their seats!" Severus roared. Myrtle flew close to Severus' desk and blew all of the sheets he was marking on the floor. Severus strode to the front of the room. "You!" He glared at Myrtle "Stop this now!" He drew his wand. "Coming into land! Bye everyone!" She flew through a wall and left the room. "Everyone take their places now!" Severus said. Immediately all of the students who had got up to mischief (especially Draco Malfoy, who had got his wand out and created several large holes in the ceiling while aiming at Myrtle) sat down. Every one of their faces showed a forced angelic and stupid face. "Anybody that was in on that trick had better own up now!" Snape warned them, his voice taking on a soft menacing growl. As expected no one said anything. He scanned the room, looking for anyone who looked guilty. All of the students seemed to take an unusual interest in stirring their concoctions. "Fine! Carry on with the potion. We will have absolute silence for the rest of the lesson." He cleaned his room magically and sat down behind his desk. "Twenty points from the next person who speaks!"  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Katrina was trying to make her way through the throng of students to her room. She was loaded up with books and papers that she wanted to return to her room, before making her way to dinner. She heard her tummy rumble and sped up slightly. She wasn't the type who usually ate a lot of food, but when she wanted it, she really wanted it! 'Chocolate!' She told herself mentally. 'As soon as you get rid of this stuff you can have chocolate.' Her bags were full of evidence to prove that chocolate was her weakness, especially chocolate frogs. If she was in the right state of mind she could devour about five a minute. (Her record was fitting 3 in her mouth (it was a really bad day!)) Her mind was so fixated on the thought that she didn't notice. "Ooomph!" The wind was knocked out of her, while most of her papers landed on the floor. "Professor Phaon." Severus' silky voice reached her ears as she tried, in vain, to catch some of the stuff that was falling from her hands. It in fact made things worse as she dropped everything she was holding on the floor, except. "Lady Chatterley's Lover?" He inquired, looking at the only thing she had manage to keep from hitting the floor. "I now know why you weren't looking where you were going. Keep your mind out of the books and on your path from now on!" He said, swooping past her and leaving her to pick up her papers. "Unbearable, thoughtless, idiotic pig." She muttered to herself, while thinking a few more graphic expletives to call him. She picked up her papers and made her way to her room.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
"Well? Did you get them??" Harry was out of breath by the time he reached the Gryffindor common room. Straight after Potions he had had a Quidditch practice, so he didn't have time to see Hermione. "Worked like a charm!" She said, and took them to the girls' dormitory. There she showed them what she had looted from Snape's store cupboard. "Wow!" Ron exclaimed. "How much stuff do we need?" They looked at the assortment of jars she had taken, as well as the shoebox full of ingredients she had taken from Professor Sprout's greenhouse. "We'll have to do the spell soon." Hermione said unhappily. She held up an almost dark grey root. "As soon as this goes black its useless. We need a cauldron, or something like that. Somewhere that we won't be disturbed. Something personal that belongs to Professor Phaon and some of her DNA."  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Severus was sat at the head table in the great hall slowly eating the meal that had appeared before him. Professor Phaon was sat directly opposite him. Observing her subtly Severus realised that she was trying deliberately to avoid eye contact with him. However every couple of minutes she would look at him. 'The next time she looks at me, I'm going to look back.' Severus decided cruelly. Sure enough when, a couple of moments later she peeked in his direction, he made eye contact with her. She quickly turned away from him, a haughty look appearing on her face. He wondered what was up with her. Then inspiration struck him. She was looking for his reaction to her book. 'Lady Chatterley's Lover.' He had been paying little attention to where he was going as he made his way down from Albus' office. Usually this didn't matter, as every student at Hogwarts knew that to run into Severus (even if it wasn't their fault) was to lose house points. It was unfortunate that he couldn't remove house points from teachers. He remembered the moment he had seen the tattered book hanging out of her hand. He had been slightly surprised. Not many wizards or witches read muggle books. However her book soon left his mind when he remembered the ghost's display.  
  
He came back to the present and looked over in her direction again. She seemed to be calm on the outside, but Severus' experience in being a Death Eater made him more observant than everyone else. She was embarrassed about her book. He quirked his eyebrow. She had been paying particular attention to him since she arrived, and now reading bawdy novels. Did she.? 'No. It can't be.' Did she like him??? He would have to do something about her infatuation. It wasn't professional to have a crush on another teacher, and this one was definitely not reciprocated. He didn't want her to be mooning over him wherever he went.  
  
The sudden heat rising from his arm told him that he was being summoned. He would deal with Professor Phaon later. He stalked from the room. Which caused a few gapes from students outside, who were expecting at least 10 points from Gryffindor after discovering they were late for dinner, and Severus didn't even look at them. He walked into his room, and had just enough time to take a potion before..  
  
A/N:  
  
Hiya guys!!! I must say first off. NO I didn't pay my sister to review my story! She does this of her own free will! But thanks anyway! Also thanks to: Kelest, Alexgray, and Joebob1379. See ya later.  
  
Krusty. xxx 


	7. The Meeting

Don't own anything recognisable from JK Rowling's Harry Potter books

****

**Chapter 7.**

****

**The Meeting.**

Severus looked around him. His black eyes widened to take in all he could about his surroundings, he would have to tell Albus all about them later.

He realised he was in front of an old deserted house. It was a two-storey house with an old rotten door propped to one side of the porch. Some of its windows looked like angry smiles, the jagged edges of broken glass reminiscent of pointed teeth, and other windows were just boarded over. The walls were a kind of blacky-green from the muck and a plant. The plant (it looked like some sort of creeper) encompassed and held the rotting walls together, it also attracted many sorts of unpleasant insects and creatures.

_'Including Death Eaters!'_ Thought Severus sarcastically.

Apart from the house Severus couldn't see anything, the darkness of the night prevented him, and he didn't want to cast "Lumos" in case the other Death Eaters saw it.

"Severus!" He heard a sly rasp coming from the porch of the house and, coming out of the shadows, he saw a blonde man leaning against one of the walls.   
"Avery." Severus growled in acknowledgement.

"Pretty nice place, huh?" The blonde man smiled repulsively. "The meeting is inside. Come on."

He walked inside the house, and Severus followed him hoping that this would be a short meeting. The last one lasted what seemed like days, and took all his strength. 

Going from a dank dingy hallway, they entered a room at the front of the house. 

In it a fire had been lit and it cast dancing shadows on the faces of the other Death Eaters, at least those who had their faces uncovered. 

Severus noticed one figure lurking at the back of the room. They were avoiding the other Death Eaters and had a long hood on covering their face. Scanning the room he could not find anyone he knew missing, so this person was newly introduced to the group. He would have to mention that to Albus, any new Death Eater would be a potential threat, especially if Severus couldn't recognise them.

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

After returning to his room and vomiting, Severus called Albus to his room. Albus arrived wearing his stripy red nightshirt and a matching hat. He looked like a barbershop pole.

"I just went to a Death Eater's meeting." He said, before sinking onto his bed in exhaustion.

Albus lit the fire in Severus' room and watched him as he gathered all his strength and staggered over to a cupboard in the corner of his room. There he ran through various bottles and jars before settling on a couple and drinking from them.

The grey colour on Severus' face disappeared, and the usual pale colour returned. He turned back to Albus.

"Because you called me as soon as you returned I presume you have some information." Albus asked in his usual calm way, sucking on a piece of butterscotch. (He had got bored of Lemon Drops over the holidays. Pat suggested trying butterscotch, and he loved it!). Inside Albus was a turmoil of emotions. 

_'Severus approached me to get away from the Death Eaters. I can't expect him to carry this on much longer.' _ He thought worriedly, looking at Severus' face, which was ravaged with exhaustion. 

"There was someone at the meeting who I didn't recognise." Severus said tiredly.

Albus leaned forward in his chair. "Was it someone new? Or have they changed cells. I didn't think Voldemort let any of his collection do that." He began to muse, but was brought back by the look of desperation on Severus' face. "Can you give me a description?"

Severus shook his head. "No. They were masked."

Albus stroked his beard thoughtfully, a myriad of ideas running through his head. (Some of them not even connected to the Death Eater meeting, like _'I wonder if butterscotch coated Lemon drops taste nice?'_) 

"Lets not get too worked up at the moment…" 

(Severus looked at Albus in disgust, as if to say _'I never get worked up about anything!')_

 "… we need more information about this person. If you could work out who it was…" Albus trailed off in thought.

Severus nodded curtly. "At the next meeting I shall find out who it is."

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

Harry smiled at Professor Phaon as she came out of her room just as he passed it. 

"Morning Professor!" He said cheerfully.

She nodded briskly, and continued swiftly down the corridor.

She was in such a preoccupied mood, that she didn't notice Harry quickly putting a stone in between her door and the doorframe.

He continued another couple of steps and, after checking that she had gone, gave a whistle. Ron and Hermione appeared from round the other corridor. They nodded at each other checking that each person knew what the other had to do.

Hermione walked to the corner Katrina had just disappeared round, she was to keep guard.

Ron stood by the door of Katrina's room and held the door open. He was to warn Harry if anyone was coming.

Harry headed towards her bedroom and looked around. He was looking for a hairbrush (this would give them a hair for the DNA), and then something personal of hers.

He found her hairbrush on her dresser; he plucked a few hairs from it and stuffed them into a bag he had brought.

Then he looked around. This was going to be harder than he thought.

All he could see were piles of books. Some of them left open at pages, others covered in dust on tables, shelves. The usual décor of the room hadn't been changed at all; no paintings or posters had been put on the wall. The bedspread on her crumpled bed was a pale blue, which looked dreadful compared to the dark green walls. There were a couple of plants on the window ledge, a cactus and a violet. Other than that he couldn't see anything.

"Hurry up!" The agitated stage whisper came through the door.

Harry started to ruffle through her drawers, but there was nothing personal. Hermione had suggested something like a photo or an item of jewellery, but Harry couldn't see anything like that. He headed back towards the lounge.

"Oh!" Harry exclaimed as he tripped over in the lounge part of the apartment. He looked back at the chair he had been passing and saw a small black box placed underneath it.

Picking up the box he looked closer, it had no apparent opening. He turned it over and over, but still nothing. 

"Ron!" He whispered towards the door. "Get Hermione in here! I need her!"

There was a silent flurry of activity from outside the room, and then Hermione entered.

"Look at this!" Harry exclaimed passing her the box. "I can't open it!"

She turned it over in her hands and muttered to herself for a moment. "It appears to be a puzzle box." She said, and then looking at it closely she pushed a side of it away.

It slid to reveal another box. 

"You have to push the sides away in a particular order to open the box." She muttered and slowly pushed and pulled the box.

After what seemed an age she finally opened the box.

Harry reached inside and brought out a heart-shaped ruby on a silver fine chain necklace, and matching bracelet and earrings.

They also found a folded piece of paper and a photo.

Harry's face went a pale shade of green, and Hermione gasped in astonishment when they looked at the piece of paper and the photo.

"We cannot mention this to anyone." Hermione said seriously.

"What…?" Harry looked up at her in disbelief.

"Whatever the spell says, we can't tell anyone. This is … well it's personal."

"And the spell isn't?"

"She's coming!" Ron's face appeared around the door. 

"We'll talk about this later." Hermione said, while quickly replacing everything but one earring and sealed the box. Harry placed it back under the chair and they rushed out of the door and round a corner in the corridor, missing Katrina by seconds.

"I can't believe it!" Hermione said with wonder.

Putting his finger over his lips in a shushing motion he signalled them to go from there.

They walked back towards the common room in silence. Harry and Hermione would not reveal the box's secret to Ron until they reached a safe place.

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

Katrina entered her room distractedly and rushed over to her desk in the lounge.

"Stupid, stupid!" She muttered to herself. "Imagine going to a lesson without the notes!"

She glanced in the full-length mirror and ran her hand through her dark bob. It was slightly brittle to the touch, as she hadn't had time to condition it that morning. She ignored the dark shadows under her eyes, which were caused by lack of sleep and grabbed the pile of notes on the desk.

She hurried, towards her door. On the way there a black shape in the corner of her eye caught her attention.

"What??" She paused and looked closely. "Why did I leave that there?"

She leant down to grab the box. One of the sides was slightly ajar, but enough for Katrina to notice. She looked around cautiously and clicked the part back in place.

"Anyone could have found this." She scolded herself. Going back to her mirror she whispered a few words and reached through the mirror, leaving the box on a magical secret shelf. Whispering another few words to make the mirror solid again, she headed back out the door.

A/N: Hiya everyone!

Just a quick note. Thanks to everyone (Nekhobi, Kelest, Joebob1379 and Alexgray) for reviewing and staying with me through the "quiet" patch I had!

Love to you all!

Krusty.

xxx


	8. Pain Relief

Don't own anything recognisable from JK Rowling's Harry Potter books

****

**Chapter 8.**

****

**Pain Relief???**

Katrina finished her lesson early to the delight of her students, because she had a stinking headache. Usually she carried on without using drugs, instead following a small path of meditation she had been taught on her travels, but she wasn't a masochist. Knowing that the pain this morning was more than she could take, she went to Madam Pomfrey for a cure. 

"We ran out of pain relief this morning, I'm afraid," she said sympathetically. "But Severus is making another batch. You could go and see if he's finished it yet!"

Deciding that she wouldn't be able to survive the next lesson (first year Gryffindors and Slytherins) with the headache, she made her way down to his private rooms. 

After knocking and receiving no reply, she approached his classroom. He was stood in the middle of his room muttering, while stirring a mixture in his cauldron. She looked at him silently for a moment from the doorframe. 

He added a couple of drops of a clear mixture he was holding to the cauldron, and then after sniffing it, he added the whole bottle. 

Katrina frowned. "I thought Potions was a refined art about following instructions to the detail. Including measurements."

Severus jumped slightly at her voice, but when he turned around, maintained his usual bland expression.

"It is. I, however, have been studying potions for as long as I can remember, and therefore can prepare some things without measuring them." He turned back to the mixture quickly, and placed the bottle he was holding behind the other bottles and jars on a table beside the cauldron. He seemed to do that too calmly though, so Katrina decided to investigate.

She walked over to him and asked. "What are you making then?"

"Just a simple pain-relieving potion for Madam Pomfrey," he answered looking at her out of the corner of his eye as she approached the table beside him.

"That's good, I have a headache. When will it be ready?"

"Not long now."

"What's this then??" she asked and picked up the discarded bottle, reading the label. "Vine juice, huh?"

"Yes," he answered curtly.

She sniffed the bottle. "Then why does it smell like Chokecherry? A famous plant renowned for it's uselessness in potions, and its incredibly bitter taste."

Severus shrugged. "I wouldn't know."

She pulled his arm so that he faced her. "So… you spike the aspirins then?"

"Spike??" Severus asked blandly.

"Yes. I should have known." She rolled her eyes. "You make it taste disgusting on purpose!"

"That's none of your business," he said, and returned his attention to his mixture.

She shrugged at his back and continued reading the labels on his bottles.

"Here," he said bluntly a few seconds later, and shoved a spoon in her face. She swallowed the potion, which removed her headache within seconds, and winced at the sour taste.  

"Anything else?" he asked rudely, and turned his back on her.

She realised that she had been dismissed, and headed for the door. "You had better make up another batch," she warned. "This time _without_ the Chokecherry and label it Professor Phaon. I don't want the same stuff you give the students."

She grinned at his startled look. "I wouldn't want to ruin the only fun you have would I? I'm heading to my rooms. If you want me I'll be there. Have fun, sweetie. Don't torture all the kids!"

A look of astonishment appeared on his face, and hers. She couldn't believe what she had just said. 

"Well… I'd better go," she said hesitantly, and vanished leaving Severus alone in his room.

If she had looked back after she shut the door, she would have been dumbfounded to see the grin, followed hastily by a grimace that fluttered across Severus' face, but she didn't look back.

Instead she decided to go back to her room; after all, she did have a couple of hours before her next class.

Entering the cluttered room she sank down onto her bed.

"What am I doing?" she asked herself. "Teasing Severus is not a good idea when you want to keep a low profile, especially when he is concerned."

She stared critically at herself in the magical mirror opposite the bed. She lifted the brown fringe off of her face, then moved her hair on the top of her head around and grimaced. Her black roots were beginning to show.

"I don't know why I didn't just do this the magical way," she grumbled at the mirror. Rolling her eyes she answered her question. "Of course I do. The magical way can be reversed quickly by an enemy."

Entering her bathroom, she went over to the cabinet on the wall and took out a wash bag. 

"Damn!" she exclaimed, after unzipping the bag and pouring the contents on the floor. "Almost out." 

She picked up assorted bits from the floor, including plastic gloves, and her last bottle of light brown coloured permanent hair dye. She made a face at the mirror. 

"I should use this now, but I'll need to buy some more." She looked at the floor again counting the boxes. 

"And my prescription for the tinted contact lenses is due."

She started to run the water through the shower and, stripping her clothes off, she mumbled to herself.

"I'll have to go to a chemists, so I need to go through Diagon Alley to get to the muggle world. I can go on a weekend, but what can I say for an excuse?"

Inspiration hit her.

"I'm going to need something for a lesson… Maybe a book or something."

She slipped into the shower and began to plan her trip.

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

Severus was sat in the staff room reading. The latest trials of the other professors washed over him as he perused his "New Potions" magazine. (Or what he termed as a magazine, which was a hardback 200-page book!)

He rarely came to the staff room (it was worse than sitting in an Iron Maiden to him!), the last few occasions had been Albus' meetings, and whenever a piece of juicy gossip went around, and he could mock the person mercilessly.

This time he was there to find Katrina. 

He still hadn't talked to her about her silly crush on him. Something about the last time they had met prevented him from doing so. He had become confused over her, but she energized him at the same time; she seemed almost familiar to him, but he couldn't place her. Also he found a lot more pleasure in teasing her than anyone else, including Neville Longbottom. But he also liked it when she teased him, like last night.

His torture was soon rewarded when she entered the room. 

Her eyes scanned the room, and he could have sworn they settled on him for a moment longer than anyone else.

"Albus!" she exclaimed when she noticed the headmaster sat beside Professor Flitwick having a debate about the best pudding to go with a meal. 

Albus looked up at her, and Severus felt a jolt of …something go through him when Katrina smiled faintly.

"I need to go to Diagon Alley this weekend. I need this book…" Her voice took on a confiding tone. "Hermione Granger keeps asking me about the sixteenth century witches, and I'm afraid that that was my worst subject."

Albus beamed at her. "That's great timing!" He turned to Severus. "Isn't that great timing, Severus? Just as you need to go to Diagon Alley to pick up more potions supplies…" He lowered his voice. "And that other thing we talked about."  
Katrina smiled weakly. "I can pick up whatever you want," she said to Severus but, before he could reply, Albus butted in.

"No, no my dear! I meant you two could go together! I'm sure two heads are better than one!"

He was distracted by Professor McGonagall saying, "Albus! I need to talk to you!"

Severus looked at Katrina in the eye. She looked worried, biting on her lower lip. 

_'Surely not because of me.'_ he thought. Then changed his mind. _'Why shouldn't she look nervous? I'm Severus Snape!'_

She coughed slightly. "Looks like we're going together."

"Let me know when you want to leave, and I'll be at the Main entrance," he said curtly, and left the room.

Only to hear Professor McGonagall and Albus talking.

"What do you think you're doing Albus?"

"I don't know what you mean!"

"Yes you do. I know you view all of the students and professors as if they were your family, all you want to do is make them happy, but to act like a matchmaker to them!"

"A matchmaker?" Dumbledore's voice was full of innocence.

"Look here, Albus. I didn't object to you putting Pat and Sirius in situations together - it was obvious that they were made for each other - but to try and push Severus and Katrina together…"  
"I wouldn't do any such thing!"

"Come on, Albus! You know full well that Katrina can pick up the supplies on her own. It's not fair!"

Dumbledore paused for a moment. "I worry about Katrina. There's something in her past that well… I don't know."  
"Has she said that to you?"

"Not as such. No."

"Stop it! You know full well that Severus cannot enter into a relationship!"

Severus glared at the hushed voices. He stormed off towards his classroom.

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

"Well, that worked well!" Albus said cheerfully to Minerva McGonagall as they watched Severus march down the corridor, taking at least 30 house points in the one passageway. 

Minerva looked at Albus distrustfully. "Are you sure this is going to work?"

"Of course it is!" He puffed out his chest proudly. "I can spot a good couple a mile away!"

Minerva nodded silently for a moment and then turned to Dumbledore.

"What's the important thing that you need Severus to pick up?"

"Ah… A very delicate operation! One that requires skill and intelligence!" he proclaimed seriously. "I need some raspberry-ripple lollipops and hot fudge ice-cream! I do tend to find that muggles make the best sweets, don't they."

Minerva shook her head and watched in amazement as Albus walked down the corridor, gently sucking on something red that he had dug out of his robe. She muttered to herself in disbelief.

"He sends Severus for sweets, but _Hagrid _for the Philosopher's Stone?"

A/N 

Thanks to everyone who reviewed, including Alexgray, Joebob1370, Kelest, and Miss_Edith.

I would like to apologize to Miss_Edith for my appalling grammar!! ** blushes **. I hadn't noticed that, but needless to say I have checked though the chapters I have written (And I got someone else to read through them too) and there are no…. Well no noticeable spelling or grammar errors!

Bye!

Love Krusty. xxx


	9. Diagon Alley

Don't own anything recognisable from JK Rowling's Harry Potter books

Chapter 9 

****

**Diagon Alley.**

****

At seven-thirty precisely that morning Katrina went to the Main Entrance, only to discover Severus waiting for her.

"Are you always this late?" he asked sneeringly.

Katrina looked at her watch. "It's just gone seven-thirty," she said coolly.

He raised an eyebrow at her, and narrowed his eyes, but didn't say anything.

She folded her arms and looked at him, daring him to speak first. She noticed that, instead of the usual black robe, he was wearing black trousers and a black jumper. 

_'He's certainly got a wide range of colours in his wardrobe!' _Katrina thought sarcastically, and kept staring at him.

His clothes were slightly baggy on his frame, giving the impression that he was skinny, but Katrina knew better.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked nonchalantly, interrupting her thoughts.

She checked her bag to see if she had everything. "Yes," she said finally.

He walked over to the fireplace. "Ladies first," he said patronisingly.

Coughing and spluttering, Katrina and Severus arrived at Diagon Alley. They familiarized themselves with their surroundings, and looked at each other.

"I am going to the muggle shops to get Dumbledore's supplies…"

"That will be fine," she interrupted him. "I need some things from there as well."

He nodded curtly and stalked of towards the Leaky Cauldron, Katrina marched after him.

They entered the rowdy pub, and they were greeted with silence. All the eyes were on Severus Snape; they watched him curiously and suspiciously.

Katrina watched as Severus nodded in acknowledgement at some of the punters in the pub, but none of them returned his greeting clearly, it was all inaudible. 

They reached the muggle world, where they blended in to the hoards of crowds.

Katrina unconsciously smoothed down her clothes. She was wearing a deep green t-shirt, which clung to her figure, with black combat trousers and a short black leather jacket.

She was used to trying to make herself inconspicuous.

He turned abruptly, and she found herself almost hurtling into him, she managed to stop before she embarrassed herself.

"I'm going there." He pointed to a well-known sweet shop with a grimace. She noticed a lot of kids tugging at their parents' arms trying to get in there. "I will meet you at this spot in half-an-hour," he commanded.

Katrina resisted the urge to salute; instead she nodded, checked her watch and walked into the bustle of the crowds.

It wasn't too crowded in the chemists that she went to. Firstly she went to the optician's part to pick up her tinted prescription contact lenses. She had transferred her prescription to near Diagon Alley as soon as she had heard from Albus about the job.

Wandering around the main section of the chemists, she picked up a few luxuries. 

A new perfume that smelled of vanilla, expensive shampoo, intensive conditioner for her hair, a few bath pearls, and a sweet little bag full of smellies. She strolled to the hair-dye section and chewed on her lower lip.

"I don't know when I'll next be here," she mumbled, and decided to pick up as many bottles of light brown as she could, providing she could smuggle them past Severus.

"That's going to be a problem," she muttered, looking at the basket full of boxes. What was in the next aisle gave her an idea.

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

Severus was in the middle of his worst nightmare. 

He was stood in the line at the sweetshop cursing Albus for ever sending him there.

He glared at the small girl stood behind him, who was screaming at the top of her voice because her mother wouldn't buy her gingerbread. And then he heard the squelch.

He swiftly turned his head around to look at a small boy with two front teeth missing grinning up at him. With his black hair and green eyes, the boy reminded him of Harry Potter.

"Ssorry!" The boy lisped up at him.

Then he noticed the strawberry ice-cream cone that had stuck to the side of his trousers. The melting parts were running down his trouser leg, and onto his black suede shoes. 

He could feel some of the icy gloop working its way into his sock.

He took some deep breaths in and tapped the lady in front of him on the shoulder.

"What!" She turned to him and curled her lip.

"I presume, madam, that this is your son," he said tightly.

"Yeah."

"Then this must be your son's ice-cream running down my leg."

She looked down at his leg, and then back up to his face. "What do you want me to do about it?"

He glared at her for a moment, and was then disconcerted to see her turn away from him and back to the sales assistant. "I'll have another strawberry ice cream."

He felt like screaming. No, he felt like getting his wand out and performing a spell that would leave her with warts, instead all he could do was stand there with ice cream dripping off of him. To make matters worse, the small boy who had stuck the cornet to him was running his fingers through the goop and licking them.

"Stop that at once!" he warned, tapping the woman on the shoulder again. "Madam, I demand that you remove your son from my trouser leg!"

Eventually he managed to pay for the sweets and made it out of the shop. He glanced at his watch; she only had a few minutes before she had to meet him.

He stood outside the leaky cauldron, and glared at the sky.

The sun had come out and was making the ice-cream melt quickly. His shoe was a sticky mess, and his socks began to stick to his feet. He still couldn't use magic until he was out of sight of any muggles.

"No chance of that here!" he muttered sourly.

"What happened to your leg?" A voice came from the street. 

He glanced at his watch. "You are two minutes late."

Katrina shrugged. "Okay, sorry." She stared at his leg. "You should really clean that up."

He glared at her. "I do know that. Are you finished?"

"Yes."

"Come on then," he ordered and walked towards the pub. He could still see her in the mirrored glass on the sign.

"Yes sir!" she muttered, and swiftly saluted before following.

She had taken off the jacket, and her t-shirt rode up slightly when she saluted, giving Severus a good view of her toned tummy. He watched in interest as she picked up the numerous bags she had dumped on the floor and followed him.

Just before entering the pub, when he was in the doorway, he got his wand out from his bag and cleaned the ice cream from his trousers.

_'It was bad enough letting her see the mess, let alone the whole of the Leaky Cauldron.' _he thought sourly.

They reached Diagon Alley the same way they had come, in complete silence. Severus turned to her when they went through the wall.

"I will be going to the alchemists. You can wait outside if you wish."

"That's okay. I'll go in with you."

He could feel her moving around the store as he picked up the order he had placed.

She delicately picked up bottles and jars, studied them closely for a moment, and then put them back down. As if she felt his eyes on her, she turned to look at him and smiled. No, she wasn't smiling at him; she was looking at someone standing behind him.

"Here you are sir!" The shop assistant said loudly, and for the fifth time.

He had been so fascinated by Katrina that he failed to notice the shop assistant returning with his things. "Right, thank you," he said gruffly and stormed out of the shop.

She followed him, but very slowly; she was weighed down by the multitude of bags.

He stared at them; they were all from the same shop. "Why do you have so many bags?"

She put down the bags, well I found this…" She rummaged through the bags and pulled out a bottle of perfume.

"Wizard shops don't stock this," she said, spraying it on her wrist. "It's nice."

She turned the bottle around and showed him the label, accidentally spraying it in his face.

All he could smell was the vanilla that had hit him. He glared at her mercilessly, but the scent appealed to him.

"Whoops! Sorry." She put the bottle away hastily.

He looked suspiciously at the large bulging bags. "And…?" he asked. "One bottle of perfume does not fill that up."

She looked at his face searchingly for a moment, and then shrugged.

"Well… if you really want to know!" she said evenly.

She rummaged in her bag again, but this time it was only for a short space of time.

"I'm stocking up on these. I prefer this brand and well… having them come to me by owl in the middle of breakfast doesn't appeal to me."

She dug out a box of sanitary towels.

"Anything else?" she asked coolly.

"Are you ready to go?" he countered, avoiding her gaze.

"I don't see why not," she said, and made her way to where they started.

She was just about to throw the floo powder when he gripped her arm.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" he asked smoothly.

"No, I don't think so," she said and shook his hand off of her.

"What about the book you came here for?"

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

"She didn't seem to want to go and get that book," Severus murmured to himself.

He growled at himself and tried to get his concentration back onto a lesson plan for the fourth year Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs.

All he could smell was vanilla still after she sprayed it onto his face, it teased him; she seemed so innocent.

He paused in his writing. "Whatever was in those bags was the reason she wanted to go to Diagon Alley." A thought struck him. "The only time we were apart was when we were in the muggle world. She seemed too keen to show me her... personal items, so they must have been a ruse. Something that would embarrass me."

His thoughts drifted to Katrina, and the way she had looked when she glided down the stairs towards him.

Luckily she hadn't realised that he had gotten a good look at her pert bottom while travelling through the floo network. The tight combat trousers had only drawn his attention to her; it had affected him in such a way…

"Stop it!" he berated himself. "You would only be taking advantage of her childish crush. You may be attracted to her... in the physical sense of the word. But her mannerisms are so naive that it would be... " He remembered the book. 

"Could it be she wanted to go with me? That she knew I was going and…?" His thoughts trailed off. She was wearing a very tight t-shirt, who else was she trying to impress.

"Unless she met someone in the muggle world. That could explain the book."

Suddenly his eyes glazed over, and he looked aimlessly at his lesson plan.

"Well I'm not going to be able to do that tonight," he said angrily, and looked at his left arm where the dark mark was going black.

A/N – Okay, okay so it doesn't exactly continue the story much, but I want them to get to know each other first!!!!!!! Plus I am aware that it is sexist to put all men into the same basket, and that some men wouldn't cringe at the thought of feminine hygiene, so sorry to all 21st century modern men!

Thank you to Kelest and Alexgrey for their continuing support!!

Love to you all.

Krusty.

xxx


	10. The Mask

Don't own anything recognisable from JK Rowling's Harry Potter books

**Chapter 10**

****

**The Mask.**

Severus found himself in the same house that had been used before. Albus had informed him that it was magically protected, so he hadn't and wouldn't be able to trace him. This time, however Severus was on a mission. He was determined to find out who the masked Death Eater was, and nothing was about to stop him.

After searching a couple of rooms he finally found it, standing by itself in the corner of one of the rooms. He decided to approach them casually.

"I don't believe we have been introduced." Severus asked firmly. "Severus Snape. And you are?"

The hood waved about as if to try and find a way of escaping the interrogation.

Severus looked at the Death Eater while keeping them securely stuck in the corner. "Well…"? He asked.

The Death Eater brushed past Severus powerfully, but as they did a scent caught Severus' nose. He grasped the Death Eater's arm firmly, and practically dragged them to the hallway. Finding it full of Death Eaters he yanked it into another room and into a large closet. Shutting the door behind them Severus turned to the Death Eater. It struggled from his grip and tried to open the closet door, but Severus grasped their arm again. This time he ripped the sleeve on their left arm, revealing the dark mark. A struggle ensued, Severus wrapped his arms around the Death Eater's body and removed their hood...

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

Hermione stood beside the bubbling cauldron adding small parts of ingredients and muttering.

It had taken Harry a couple of nights hidden underneath his cloak of invisibility, but eventually he found the room Egan Parsifal had used to hide from Pat and Sirius without going through Severus' classroom. He was pleased to discover that they had left the cauldron and the fireplace there. All they would have to do was smuggle the ingredients through the secret tunnels and complete the spell. 

Ron was stood beside the ingredients giving them to Hermione as she called for them, while Harry performed a spell on the room to prevent them from being caught.

"The dried… the _blue _one Ron, not this!" Hermione said patronisingly.

Ron mimicked her stance and waggled his finger to the air mouthing "Naughty naughty!"

Harry grinned at the scene but Hermione glared at them. "Come on!"

Ron rolled his eyes and gave her the jar she requested. 

"Almost ready Harry." Hermione said, and Harry joined them over by the cauldron.

"Show me the past!" They chanted in unison, and Hermione dropped in the last two ingredients, the earring and the hairs.

There was a sudden blast of cold air going around the room, and Ron had to spit out the strands of Hermione's hair that had hit him in the face. 

As swiftly as it had started the wind stopped, and the room was silent.

"Right… What now?" Ron asked Hermione.

"Shhh!" She said and approached the cauldron.

There they could see a fluttering of images appearing on the top of the solution.

"Just watch…" Hermione said distractedly her attention caught by the colours moving around the cauldron.

_"Fay!!" _

Evaristus Devlin appeared on the surface of the cauldron.

_"Yes Father?" A young girl answered, she had black hair and green eyes, she ran to the man and stood still, her hands clasped behind her back. Her shoes were immaculately polished, and there wasn't a crease on her dress._

_Evaristus assessed her appearance critically. "Your hair is a mess. The next time I see you I want it tidy."_

_The child bowed her head. "Yes Father."_

_"Good. I can't have a child of mine looking like a state! I should have had a boy." His gaze flickered accusingly in to his wife stood behind the girl, then returned to the girl. "I'm sending you to Durmstrang. I do not want a child of mine going to that mud-blood loving school. Hogwarts, pah!"_

_Fay bent her head in submission. _

_"When you complete your studies I shall present you to Lord Voldemort, who will make you one of us…" He held out his arm where the black mark had been burnt into it. "… and then you shall become a trophy wife to the highest bidder."_

The image in the cauldron flickered and Harry, Ron and Hermione looked at each other. 

"Are you sure you did the right spell?" Ron asked cautiously.

Hermione looked at him haughtily. "Of course it was the right spell. Would I …"

"Hush!" Harry silenced the other two. "Something's happening."

They turned their gaze back to the cauldron which was bubbling furiously. It suddenly quietened, and an image formed on the surface.

A face appeared on the surface of the spell, it was a young woman. She had long dark black hair and green eyes like the young girl in the images before. This time she was gazing into a mirror in a highly furnished room. It was like a show home's room, completely unwelcoming and fake in appearance. The woman was biting her lower lip, something she did in stressful situations. 

_"I'm going to be in so much trouble." She whispered to her mirror._

_It was Fay Devlin, after her meeting with Severus Snape in the study. She had discarded the red dress on a chair in the corner of her room, and was now wearing a long white nightgown._

_She sat on her bed, her back held rigidly straight (something she had been taught at Durmstrang) and prepared herself for the punishment that was due to come._

_She knew that Severus wouldn't wait to go and bawl out her father for preparing her like a sacrificial lamb._

_A loud knock at her door startled her from her thoughts. She frowned. Neither of her parents knocked before entering her room._

_Making no noise as she walked, she made her way to the door and opened it a little._

_"What…"? She started, but stopped as she was roughly pushed away from the door._

_The only sound that was heard was the click of the lock as Severus shut and locked the door behind him._

_"Severus?" Fay asked breathlessly._

_A despicable grin appeared on Severus' face. _

_"What are you doing here?" Fay asked when her tongue began to work again, she bit her lip again._

_"So you think you can buy me off with your body do you?" His harsh drawl made her stiffen._

_"No. That's my..."_

_"I don't want to hear it." He cut her off abruptly. His black eyes travelled up and down her body. "Even I must admit that you are beautiful."_

_She gasped at the look in his eyes. "Severus?" She asked pleadingly. "What are you going to do?"_

_"What you wanted me to do in the study." He said bitterly, making his way towards her purposefully. "Although I much prefer this dress. It seems more suitable, almost sacrificial."_

_He grabbed hold of her._

Hermione grabbed a long wooden stick and started to stir away the image of Severus and Fay kissing.

Ron looked almost green.

"Well that explains it." Hermione muttered.

"Explains what?" Ron asked, after swallowing deeply.

"The picture you idiot."

"What picture??" Ron asked puzzled.

"The one we found in her box!" Hermione answered hurriedly.

Harry was white with horror. "She's a Death Eater." He said hollowly. 

"Harry…" Hermione – for once – could say nothing.

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

"So. You're the masked Death Eater then?" Severus asked. 

Katrina struggled free from his grip and looked at her left arm where he had ripped her sleeve, the dark mark was grey in appearance, but she knew it would go black when Voldemort called. She looked Severus straight in the eye. 

"Yes I am." She said bluntly. 

His eyebrow twitched. "Well? What do you expect me to do?"

"Huh?" Her mouth dropped open in shock. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

He decided to humour her. "You are a Death Eater. True or false." He said in his deadpan voice.

"Ummm…" Her shoulders dropped. "Yes and no."

He looked at her disbelievingly. _'This is like trying to get an answer out of a first year Gryffindor.'_ He thought. 

"Its not a trick question. You are or you aren't."

She frowned for a moment. "Okay. Are you a Death Eater?"

He narrowed his eyes at her. "What do you mean?"

"Well… I'm like you. I am technically a Death Eater. But I am not a Death Eater at heart."

Severus decided at that moment that she was a spy sent from Voldemort to test him.

"You aren't at heart?" He asked smoothly.

"No."

"The Dark Lord will hear about this." He said, and started to storm from the closet. 

"No! Wait!" She cried, her voice was full of desperation. She grasped his cloak and pulled him back towards her. Through her heightened emotion she misjudged her strength and pulled him so hard that he hurtled into her. 

He looked at her; her eyes were full of fear. _'This is no trick.' _He thought.

"No." She said softly. "You can't."

"What's going on?" He asked, aware that they were in a house full of Death Eaters and if they were found…

She looked around desperately. "Har... Someone told me you were a Death Eater. I had to make sure you weren't spying for both sides. So I followed…"

He lunged for her, his lips crushing hers. His hands gripped her wrists in his and brought them around to his waist. He could tell she was stunned.

"...in here. Oh!!!" The sudden light shining in from the hallway made Severus screw his eyes up. The startled voice of Avery made Katrina stiffen in his grasp. 

Severus pulled away from Katrina and looked at Avery.

"Snape! You dark horse!" Avery leered, his neck craning to discover who was with Severus.

"If you don't mind Avery." Severus said firmly shutting the door in his face. He looked at the door for a moment and every thing was still. 

All Severus could hear was the loud beating of his heart. After hearing Avery and his companion's footsteps going down the hall he turned back to Katrina.

She was as white as  a sheet. 

Severus frowned. _'How did she ever get to be a Death Eater if Avery opening a door scares her?'_

She looked up at him and a slight flush of colour escaped across her cheeks. "Severus… I have something to tell you."

"Shhh…" He silenced her briskly, hearing footsteps down the corridor. "This is no time to talk. We have to go."

She nodded mutely, and followed him out of the cupboard when he left, replacing her hood as she did so.

A/N Thanks to everyone who reviewed!!

FaIrY ASpHoDeL I have copied your story and will work my way through ASAP! (I like to check out the stories of the people who review my work!!!), but it may take me a while to review!! Bear with me!!

Love Krusty.


	11. No Use Crying Over Spilt Dead Frog

Don't own anything recognisable from JK Rowling's Harry Potter books

Chapter 11 

****

**No Use Crying Over Spilt Dead Frog.**

Katrina felt the tears running down her face, but she couldn't stop them.

"Are you okay?" The hoarse voice of Severus filled the room.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said weakly; she blinked back the tears and looked around her.

She found herself stood in a dark room; the walls were a deep shade of red, which complemented the wooden floor. There was hardly any furniture in what could only be called a living room, but there was a comfortable chair and many shelves on the walls, which were full of books on potions.

Severus had left her in this room when they had got back from the meeting, but she sensed that he was returning to her by the way the fine hairs on the back of her neck were rising.

She felt his gaze on her, but she still couldn't get up from her crouched position on the floor. He touched her on the shoulder. It was only briefly, but she felt the warmth of his hand shooting through her. It was strange, to look at the sallow faced, greasy-haired man, you would have though that his touch was cold as ice, but it wasn't.

She shivered, the weight of her past and secrets, combined with the fatigue caused by the meeting made her feel ill.

"Severus," she said faintly, before slumping over in a heap on the floor.

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

"Katrina?" He rushed to her side, and turned her onto her back. He felt for her pulse and relaxed when he felt the steady heartbeat.

He picked her up and paused. He could still smell the vanilla perfume that had given away her secret to him on her body.

He shook his head. 

"Stop it," he muttered.

He took her into his bedroom and placed her gently on the bed. He cocked his head to one side and looked at her for a moment. She looked peaceful; it was the first time he had seen her that way. Composed, angry, worried, flustered: yes, but never at peace.

He went over to the door and gave one final glimpse at her, before leaving.

"She will want something to wear and something to eat," he muttered to himself.

He made his way silently up the staircases and to her room. 

Luckily it was still night-time and the students were still in bed. He wouldn't be disturbed for a while. He magically unlocked her room and walked in.

He wrinkled his nose at the plants. The violet was pink.

He touched a couple of the books that were in piles in her room and read some of the titles.

Dracula, Catch 22, The Three Musketeers, A Clockwork Orange. He glanced at the diversity of them all. The many books she read went from horror to action. 

Walking into her bedroom, he grimaced, and deliberately avoided the pile of Mills & Boon and other assorted romance novels on her bedside table. He went towards her wardrobe and picked out a loose fitting blue robe.

"The one she wore when she was staring at me in the staff room," he murmured. He draped it over his arm and went towards the door, pausing when he noticed the bottle on her other bedside table.

"Contact Lens Solution?" 

He picked up the bottle and made his way out of the room, shutting the door as he did so.

Upon returning to his room, he checked on her; she was still asleep in his bed.

He got his wand and waved it over her head, holding the lens case in his other hand.

The blue tinted contact lenses appeared in the case, he frowned at them.

"Tinted?" he murmured and looked at the sleeping girl.

She had something to hide, but he wasn't sure what.

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

Katrina awoke slowly to find herself floating in Severus' classroom.

The room was fuzzy because she didn't have her glasses or contact lenses on, but she could still make out the black figure of Severus. He was stood beside a smoking cauldron; his back was turned to her as he stirred the potion. Without looking around, as if he sensed her conscious state, he flicked his fingers and she floated to a standing position. Her legs remained weak, but somehow they managed to hold onto her.

"Are you alright?" he asked huskily, his voice full of weariness, and something she hadn't heard in a long time. It sounded as if he was slightly aroused. She blushed; she remembered the last time he had sounded like that.

"Here, drink." He turned to her and offered her a spoon of something green.

"Ch…" She gave a rasping cough, and cleared her dry throat. "Chokecherry?"

"I left it out."

She nodded, and reached for the spoon. He moved himself closer to her, and put the spoon next to her mouth. "Drink," he rasped.

She sipped the potion slowly, letting it soothe her dry throat. "Strawberry?" she asked uncertainly.

He nodded, and offered her the spoon again. 

She drank, her head became refreshed, and her muscles relaxed slightly.

"Thank you," she said, and looked up at him. His usually black eyes looked even darker; they were surrounded in deep black shadows, and there was a glint in them that she recognised.

"Severus," she whispered and was faintly disappointed when he backed away from her.

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

He stared at her disappointed face. Her big green eyes were staring up at him sleepily.

_'I don't know why she wears tinted contacts. Green eyes suit her' _he thought distractedly. _'Although there's something about them that reminds me of someone…'_

His thoughts drifted through some of the people he knew, and suddenly, as one of the faces stuck steadfastly in his mind, he was a victim of his own intense emotions as they overcame him. He looked at her, and felt something stab at him in his enraged state.

She was gnawing at her bottom lip nervously. 

This made her lip red and swollen until some blood started to pool around her tooth.

He felt the urge to kiss her, and remembered the clinch they had shared when he had unmasked her.

He had done it to stop the Death Eater from finding out who she was. However while kissing her he had found himself enjoying the kiss, the vanilla scent that had given her away to him in her hair, the feel of her next to him and the taste of chocolate on her lips.

She looked up at him, her eyes met his and she gasped. Her eyes revealed her half-frightened, half-excited state. A red mist clouded his eyes, but he still had the constraint to stop and look at the clock he kept on the wall and make a few hasty calculations.

_'Half an hour until my next class.'_

He went slowly towards her, as she looked towards the open door of his classroom. "Severus?" she asked hesitantly, her swollen lips pouting gently as she spoke his name.

He flicked a glance at the open door, and ignored it, heading straight for her in purposeful strides.

He got to her and propelled her into his storeroom behind him. Closing the door and magically locking it, he turned back to her.

Pushing her back into the shelves behind, he kissed her ferociously. She responded bashfully. She put her hands on his chest and he felt the warmth of them going through his robe.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and cupped her lower back, pulling her closer to him. She gasped, but this just became an invitation to her mouth for him. She removed her hands from his chest and put them on the shelf, which was digging into her rear, for support. 

He felt her chest rubbing against his, and pushed her even closer to the ledge behind her, savouring in the feel of her that he had experienced at the Death Eater's Meeting.

She tilted backwards to find no support, and thinking that she was losing her balance she flailed her arms, hitting a couple of jars as she did. 

They hurtled to the floor with an almighty crash.

Hearing the sound, Severus regained control of his rampant passions and let go of her. 

She spun away, going deeper into the closet and ran her fingers through her short hair in an attempt to create order.

Brushing the big bits of glass to one side magically, he looked at the dried frog and the herbs on the floor, mentally calculating the speed in which he could get more.

He then turned back to Katrina.

And frowned when he saw her shaking in silent sobs.

He went towards her, but she just shied away.

"No use crying over spilt dead frog," he said to her scathingly.

"I wasn't," she said and rushed from the room.

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

"What were you thinking!"? Katrina was telling herself off for the way she reacted to him.

She was rushing up the staircases from the potion's classroom in the basement, to her room.

"Oomph!" Harry exclaimed, and was temporarily winded when he crashed into Katrina as he was rushing down the stairs.

It wasn't Harry's day, because closely following Katrina was Severus.

"Twenty points from Gryffindor for running in the corridor! What are you doing here, Potter?! Shouldn't you be at Breakfast?!" Severus glared at the boy.

"Uhhhh… I forgot my… my book! I forgot my book that Hermione wanted to look at before our first class." Harry looked between Severus and Katrina. He noticed that her eyes were slightly puffy, as if she had just woken up, or just stopped crying. He also became aware of the fact that both Severus and Katrina's lips were swollen, and although he could only see a cut on her lip, his lip had a bit of blood on it. He also saw that Severus was carrying a ladies robe.

"Go to breakfast, Potter, before I deduct more points!" Severus growled warningly, and watched as Harry walked quickly down the corridor.

Katrina took that moment to try and escape, but his firm hand grasping her arm just above the elbow stopped her.

"Katrina…" He started to say, but she shook his hand off of her, she turned away so she couldn't see him.

He put the robe in her line of vision, but he didn't move.

"My…" She looked down and grasped the robe she was wearing. "Who…?"

"I decided it would be better if you didn't wake up in this. Also that you didn't go rushing around the castle in a robe stained with blood."  
She shuddered as she remembered the pledge that a new member had made, which was sealed with his blood. She remembered how he had knelt and cut his hand, and how the splattering of blood had gotten onto her dress.

She felt woozy, and placed her hand against the wall for support.

"Katrina?" he asked quietly. It was the first time she had heard him speak softly to anyone.

"I'm fine," she said faintly, her shoulders slumped slightly as she tried to stop the flashbacks of the meeting. "It's just…"

"I understand." Severus' firm voice interrupted her thoughts, and he placed one hand on her waist, the other grasped her hand as he moved behind her and steered her to her room.

"You need to get some rest," he said quietly, not removing his hand from her waist as he opened the door and lead her inside. "I will tell Albus that you are ill, and take over your classes for today."

He laid her gently on the bed, and removed her shoes. She couldn't help wondering what would have happened if all those years ago she had told him…

"Severus… I have to…"

"I didn't watch," he interrupted her firmly.

"What…?" she asked confused.

"I said I didn't watch. I know you are probably worried about the fact that I changed your clothes, but don't be," he caressed her cheek gently, removing the hairs that were stuck to it. "I removed them magically."

"Uhhhh… Thanks, Severus, but…"

"Hush." He placed a finger over her lips. "Rest now. We'll talk later."

He left the room, and Katrina sighed.

"I wanted to tell you about my past… our past."

A/N Thanks to Kelest for reviewing!!!!!!


	12. What I Really Am

Don't own anything recognisable from JK Rowling's Harry Potter books

****

**Chapter 12.**

****

**What I Really Am.**

Severus got outside the room, shut the door, and immediately spotted a 3rd year Hufflepuff standing in the hall outside a door. 

"Twenty points from Hufflepuff!" He growled menacingly. "Stop loitering!" 

"But…?!"

He hastily went back to his dungeon, not hearing the hopeless pleas coming from the Hufflepuff.

He entered his private rooms forcefully and, after slamming the door shut behind him, he stood beside his desk next to the wall, gripping the edges of the table. His fingers started to go white with the force.

"It's her…" he snarled to himself. "She is here." He ran a hand through his greasy hair in frustration, then replaced it back, gripping the table. "What is she doing here of all places?" he questioned himself. 

He had momentarily lost control in the classroom, when he had recognised her, and kissed her. He felt the rush of emotions overpowering him now as images ran through his head; they faded away as one person's image emerged and dominated the others.

"Fay Devlin."

He took his hands away from the desk and stared blindly at the deep impressions the desk edges had left. The bathroom door was still open from when he had left it that morning and he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror.

His usually sallow face had gone stark white, even his lips, which usually had a bit of colour in them were white through the force of them clamped together.

He stiffened in shock at the mirror image, and looked away.

"Fay…?" he growled blindly. Memories flashed through his head of the last night he had seen her. In fact the last night he had seen her was also the first night he had met her. He recalled the red dress she had worn in that dark study, the way she had moaned his name as he had taken her in his arms. He had been instantly stunned by the sight of her rising from the floor in the corner of the study. 

Another memory escaped the prison inside his mind that he reserved for memories he would rather forget, but never could.

He saw Evaristus Devlin's conceited face when Severus had returned to get Fay, and then the complacency turn to pure unleashed rage as his wife told him she couldn't find her.

He could still hear the cries echoing through the house as he left the man alone with his defenceless wife.

Severus roared in rage, furiously sweeping all the items from his desk. He turned and started hitting the wall, his eyes clouded over in a crazed madness.

He slumped to the floor moments later, his rage had dissipated and he now felt drained.

He winced as he gazed at the blood gushing from his knuckles. He distractedly got up off of the floor and headed towards the bathroom. Running the cold tap water he put his hand under the streaming water; the pain of the wound stabbed at him and he flinched pulling his hand from the stream. He replaced it immediately though, absorbing the pain. He was used to pain, he accepted it more than others did. In his mind, he deserved the pain, he submitted to it as part of his redemption for his past.

He looked up at the mirror again, and was slightly relieved to see some chalky colour return to the ashen complexion. He then gazed at the red water streaming from the wound he had inflicted. 

The pain and the blood reminded him of the all too familiar sensations he had during his Death Eater days when he had been in the throes of killing.

He stared back up at his face. "You have not lost control like that since…" he muttered to the mirror. Grimacing at his own naivety, he recalled how, after he had left Hogwarts the first time, he had revelled in the attention Voldemort had given him. How he had liked the familial atmosphere of the Death Eater group he was in. How he had lost control of himself, when all that mattered was the praise from the Dark Lord, when other people's lives were no longer sacred, and he would have done anything. But like all cults, the praise had turned to torture, where death would have been a blessing.

Agony and tortuous guilt washed over him, but he glared at himself in the mirror.

"You've got to control yourself," he told himself stubbornly.

He cleaned up the wound and wrapped bandages on it.

"She wants to tell me. That is a good sign." He made a fist a couple of times, grimacing in pain as he did so. "When she does tell me, I cannot react like I just did." He glanced at the bandage. "I must keep myself in check, and to do that I must stay away from her. This must not happen again."

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

"No! Harry!" Hermione's flushed face squealed as she rounded the corridor after Harry, who was determinedly walking towards Dumbledore's office.

"We have to!" Harry retorted back, not even bothering to turn around.

Ron hurried after them, still gulping down his toast, he had been talking to Neville Longbottom when Harry had entered the Great Hall, talked to Hermione and left with a stubborn look on his face. "What's happening?"

"Harry's going to Professor Dumbledore about Professor Phaon!" Hermione called over her shoulder, still trying to catch up with Harry.

Ron stopped stunned for a moment, then realising they had rounded a corner ran to catch up. "Isn't that a good thing??? You know what with her past and everything??"

Hermione looked over her shoulder exasperatedly at him. "In that context, _of course it is, _but what are we going to say?? We just happened to perform a spell on a teacher – it was an accident?" She rolled her eyes dramatically. "We could be expelled for that!"

Ron looked thoughtful for a moment, and then realised what his mother's reaction would be to the expulsion. "Oh god! Not another Howler… but this time in person!! Not even Fred and George got expelled!!! Hey! Wait up Harry! Lets talk about this!"

"There's nothing to talk about!" Harry exclaimed.

"Harry! Wait!"

"What's all this then?" Albus' chirpy voice stopped the three in their tracks. They swung around and there stood Dumbledore, eyes glinting and rosy cheeks bunched up tightly. "Three students away from the breakfast table?!"

"Professor!" Hermione exclaimed, breathing heavily. She whacked Ron on the back, who was choking on a piece of toast that had gone down the wrong way in the shock.

"I need to talk to you Professor!" Harry cried out approaching Albus frantically.

"Yes, yes of course, young Harry. Come to my office," he said, sweeping his arm at the door dramatically.

He let them all go in first, then followed them. He sat down in his chair and opened one of his drawers.

"So, Harry, Ron and Hermione! What can I do for you this bright morning?!" 

Dumbledore exclaimed cheerfully, handing around the raspberry-ripple lollies Severus had retrieved from the muggle world.

Hermione looked at Harry uncertainly. "Uhhhh…"

Harry made a face at her in frustration; he couldn't understand how any wrong could come from Albus knowing about Professor Phaon's past. 

Ron looked at them both and then at Albus, rolling his eyes in despair.

"Come on now! It can't be that bad!" Albus intervened the glaring contest between Harry and Hermione.

"Professor…" Ron started reluctantly. "The thing we want to tell you… well its…"

"Delicate." Hermione intruded into Ron's sentence.

Albus leaned back in his chair and stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Delicate eh?"

Ron nodded grimly.

"It… well, it concerns a teacher," Hermione said shakily.

"Professor Phaon is a Death Eater," Harry all but yelled hastily.

Albus leaned forward in his chair and coughed up the lemon drop that had lodged in his throat. "What...?"

"She is! She's a Death Eater. We performed a spell after…"

Ron and Hermione glared at Harry. Ron poked Harry in the side savagely.

"A spell?" Dumbledore's eyes widened at Harry in consternation. "You performed a spell?"

Hermione looked at the floor. "I did, Professor Dumbledore. We performed a background check on her."

"And you say she's a Death Eater."

Ron chose this moment to speak. "We saw a person in the spell who resembled Professor Phaon, but they called her … Fay, Fay Devlin." Albus stiffened at the name.

Harry opened his mouth as if to speak, but stopped when Hermione nudged him in the ribs.

Albus noticed Hermione's reaction. "What aren't you telling me?"

"Professor Snape knows her," Harry blurted. "We saw them together."

"Harry!" Hermione gasped in astonishment. 

"What?" Harry defended himself. "He needed to know! We cannot keep it a secret."

Dumbledore nodded slowly, pondering all they had said. "Leave this with me. Do not tell any one else about this."

They nodded at him half-heartedly.

"Go on now. You'll be late for class."

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

"Albus." Severus nodded in acknowledgement as the headmaster entered his classroom. It was later in the day, and Severus had just finished a class when the headmaster had knocked on his door.

"Severus." Albus returned the greeting and wandered over to where he was stirring a blue potion in his cauldron. "Ah! The fertilizer potion Professor Sprout wanted to try out. How is it going?"

Severus narrowed his eyes at Albus. "The potion is fine." He enchanted the spoon to keep stirring the mixture and wiped his hands with a cloth. "You didn't come down here to talk about potions, Albus. What is the matter?"

"Ah… yes." Albus wandered over to the desks where the students had been sitting and picked up various ingredients that they had been using, sniffing them hesitantly and then putting them back down.

Severus put down the cloth, crossed the room and shut the door. "What's this all about, Albus?"

"Have you had any leads on identifying the identity of the anonymous Death Eater yet?"

Severus turned away from Albus and walked over to the chalkboard. He picked up a rag and proceeded to wipe the board clear to give him more time to think. Myriads of thoughts ran through his mind about the reaction of Albus to the news. He reviewed the consequences and made up his mind

"I have, yes."

"Ah! Good, good," Albus muttered to himself. "And might you know who it is?"

"The person in question is… of no harm. We are not in danger." Severus skirted the question tactfully, and expressionlessly.

"Yes, right." Albus approached Severus and lowered his voice. "I cannot help her, if she does not speak to me."

Severus looked shocked for a moment, but the calm façade soon pasted itself back on his face. "I do not know what you mean."

"Severus, some people know about her, and you, and your… relationship."  
Severus stiffened, but remained silent.

"If she is harmless, then I can help her," Albus murmured and walked quietly out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

A/N

Okay the title is a blatant rip off from Nickleback's song, but I think it seems to fit!!!

Thanks to Kelest, Alexgrey, Iluvlegolas, and Nekohebi for reviewing!!!


	13. The Truth

Don't own anything recognisable from J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books.

**Chapter 13.**

****

**The Truth.**

Katrina was still in bed. She had woken up earlier to change her blue robe into some pyjamas, but the exhaustion and the pure horror of the situation had caught up with her, and she had fallen asleep almost straight afterwards. She sighed and stared sightlessly at the ceiling, her mind full of confused thoughts about the past few days. 

She had to tell Severus about their past before it was too late, and definitely before she lost her nerve. Ignoring her tired muscles' groans, (and the one that managed to escape her mouth) she got up, ran a brush through her hair and hastily dragged on an old cotton t-shirt and a pair of jeans. Grabbing her contact lens case and solution from the cabinet in her bathroom she attempted the futile task of throwing on her trainers on at the same time as putting a lens in her eye. She had managed to drag half of her foot into her shoe, and her finger was just approaching her eye when there was a brisk knock on the door, causing her to jolt in surprise and ram her finger straight into her eye.

"Ouch!! Damn!" she yelled, and hopped over to the door saying a few more expletives while trying to stop the flow of tears escaping her eye.

Swinging the door wide open, she almost fell over in shock as she saw Severus standing there.

"Uhhhh Sev- Professor Snape, what are you..? Whoah!" she yelled, grasping onto the front of his robe as she stood on the laces of her trainer and fell headlong into him.

"Shit, shit, shit!" she muttered, as she removed her trainer and, careful not to touch him too much, got off of Severus. "Sorry. I … ummm lost my balance."

He got up off the floor smoothly, and dusted himself down. "I noticed," he said restrainedly.

She became instantly flustered.

He looked into her face, and flinched slightly at the puffy eye. "Are you alright?" he asked evenly, motioning to her eye.

"What…? Oh this, I had an accident," she said, and then realised that they were still stood in the corridor. "Oh! Won't you come in?"

He nodded his assent and strode into the room. 

"Its fortunate that you came here," Katrina said nervously, while searching blindly for her glasses. "I was just coming to find you. I have to tell you something."

She continued to bend over the desk as she spoke, her face mere inches from the top. Without her glasses or lenses, she was blind, and couldn't see her hand in front of her face. She could however sense Severus' presence behind her and stiffened slightly as his arm reached over her shoulder and picked up the elusive glasses from on top of a book she was reading.

"Thanks," she said, straightening up but not turning to face him until he had moved back and sat down on the sofa behind her.

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

Severus realised by the way she was being so completely out of character that she was ready to tell him. So he sat quietly and waited and tried to push the electrifying sensation he received whenever she was near to one side. It had been a mistake getting that close to her. Severus reflected, but he could not have waited any longer, while watching her pert bottom waving about. Especially when he (with his 20:20 vision) could see the glasses right in front of her face. She turned around and he attempted to keep the frustration he felt from his face as he scrutinised her.

His eyes explored her face, searching for anything that reminded him of the innocent young girl he had known. He suddenly realised from the expectant look on her face, that he had been still for a while, staring tensely at her face.

"You had something you wanted to tell me?" he asked.

She took a big breath in, which although accentuated her breasts, also seemed to give her courage, and approached the sofa he was sat down upon. She sat next to him and looked into his fathomless eyes.

"I was Fay Devlin," she admitted slowly and quietly.

Severus stared at her tolerantly, waiting for her to continue.

"Severus…?" He heard her say painfully as she caught the expression in his eyes. She stood up from the couch they were sat on and turned away from him. She didn't look at him as she continued her confession.

"After you left me on that night, well… I decided that I couldn't stay there any longer," she said quietly, and he could hear the pain in her voice; but he was dead to her pain, he couldn't say anything.

"You do remember me, don't you?" she asked tentatively.

_'How could I not?' _he thought cynically; she had been the one part of his Death Eater life that he had gotten true pleasure from. He again felt the turbulent emotions rise in him but, remembering last night and what he had done after becoming mad, he gripped his fingernails into his hands and managed to maintain the cool façade he always wore.

"Severus?" she said uncertainly, he could see the worry etched on her face. "What are you thinking?"

He could sense her body becoming tense as the silence extended, she was getting anxious so he decided to speak. 

"I do remember you, yes," he stated bluntly.

His eyes ravaged her face; her glasses accentuated the bright green eyes he remembered, but her hair was a different colour. He muttered a few words.

"It won't change," she murmured softly to him upon hearing the spell to cast off a disguise. She unconsciously smoothed her hair down. "I buy muggle hair dye."

He nodded brusquely, the secret of the muggle shops revealed, and continued his scrutiny of her face. Her lips were the same, pale pink and slightly swollen through her habit of biting her lower lip.

_'She has managed to do something I could never do: escape from the past. I cannot drag her back. Whatever my feelings for her are, I cannot subject her to that,'_ he thought proudly, not letting an inch of his inner feelings known to her. 

"What are you thinking?" she asked him timidly.

He turned to her, and blanked his expression, immediately hardening his voice. "How can I be sure that you have left the Death Eater way of life?"

Her eyes widened in fear and shock. "What…?"

"You heard what I said," he continued bluntly. 

"I don't see what you mean."

"You came here with a false name. When you did recognise me, you did not come forward." He curled his lip and looked at her derisively. "It was only when I revealed your true identity that you came to me. How do I know that you are not here to spy for Voldemort?"

Katrina's face paled at Severus' suggestions. "I would never…"

"Well I only have your word for that," he interrupted her flow curtly, stood up and walked towards the door. 

"Severus!" she moaned. "Please, no. Don't go. Look…"

He watched her turn towards her mirror.

She whispered a few words and the mirror became translucent. He sat down onto the chair and observed her taking the box from its hiding place. 

She turned to face him. 

"Here." She passed him the box that she had opened carefully. "I'm not sure whether it will help persuade you that I am no longer part of that life, but I want to share it with you."

He stared at the jewellery that she had been wearing on the night they had first met.

"I didn't take anything of my former life except those. I just couldn't bear to part…" She paused and lowered her head. "I hate rubies, but they reminded me of you, of that night."

He nodded understandingly, and then reached for the folded paper. A photo fell onto his lap and he gazed at the moving photo of young boys and girls.   
He gestured questioningly to the photo while staring at her with a harsh penetrating look.

"Durmstrang," she admitted. "It's a picture of my class at Durmstrang."

He put the photo to one side, and then he unfolded the paper. He froze in horror as he saw the drawing of himself.

"I couldn't get your image out of my mind," she whispered. "I just couldn't stop drawing you. I burnt the other ones I sketched. God!" She rubbed her face with her hands despairingly. "I'm not like this, Severus. They took care of that. I'm not sentimental, and I don't need souvenirs, but there was something about that night. I just couldn't let go…" She trailed off, and stared into space.

Severus watched her as a myriad of emotions ran through her face.

Her eyes focussed on his face momentarily and a concerned expression appeared in them. "Look, Severus, just because I have this… well, infatuation with you, doesn't mean to say that you have to feel responsible for me." She smiled ruefully, but there was an aura of sadness around her. "Just leave me, Severus. Leave me alone."

He stood slowly, and let the box and its contents drop onto the chair.

"I went back for you," he said bluntly, his black eyes staring at her brutally.

"You…?" she mumbled incredulously, her face drained of blood. "You went back for me? When?"

"A few nights after we met," he said disdainfully. "I went back to your house to be claim you, but you were gone."

"Claim?" she asked derisively. "You went back to _claim_ me? God, Severus, what am I to you? Some kind of faint-hearted woman? Did the fact that you bedded me automatically mean that you had to protect me like some naive child? You can be so imperceptive sometimes, Severus!" Katrina's face was flushed with anger, and she turned to leave the room crossly.

"No! Don't leave." Severus stood up and crossed the room, and gripped her arm so that the blood stopped reaching her hand. 

"Severus! You're hurting me!"

He dropped her arm, took a step back, and surveyed her without emotion. "I apologise."

"No. Don't do that." She frowned at him. "Don't shut yourself off."

He continued to scrutinize her coldly.

She sat down, an obstinate expression on her face.

"I don't know what you mean," Severus said grimly. "I'm sorry to have wasted your time." He swivelled round and began to walk purposefully towards the door but her words stopped him in his tracks.

"Why _did_ you come?" she asked, puzzled, rising from her chair and moving towards him.

Severus looked at her, a distant look on his face.

"You were the one to come to me," she continued.

"After your little episode, I felt it my duty to check on your state of health, not to mention your state of mind," he sneered patronisingly.

Katrina's face hardened and she jutted her chin out stubbornly. "My state of mind is quite lucid compared to yours, Professor Snape."

"Then I dare not trespass on your time any longer. Good day." He left with a swish of his robes, shutting the door with a click.

A/N Wow! All these reviews! Thanks very much to Kelest, Kat-tak (that was on of my favourite lines as well!!), Annoriel (Remus and Lunar's fic is very nearly finished, and I'll start to post it as soon as I finish posting this one!), Preciousgirl (an hour!!! Wow! You must have been reading very fast!) and Alexgrey.

Love to you all.

Krusty.

xxx


	14. TLC and Sunshine

Don't own anything recognisable from J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books.

Chapter 14 

****

**TLC and Sunshine**

"My state of mind. How dare he? I am perfectly sane! No insanity here!" Katrina stopped talking when the faces of her students showed her that they thought otherwise, especially since she had begun to talk to herself in the middle of a lesson. Harry's face seemed particularly frightened. She raised one eyebrow and looked sternly at her class. "Haven't I given you a sheet of questions to answer? Perhaps you want me to give you another since you have all finished so quickly."

Every face turned immediately towards their desks, and quills were brushed against paper.

Putting her anger to one side for a moment, she replayed the events of that night for the hundredth or so time. This time, she remembered it without the emotion that had confused her. "He wasn't surprised!" she exclaimed, and stood up. Realising that again the students were staring at her with a horrified look, she said abruptly. "As you seem to be staring at me more that concentrating on your work, I suggest that you all have that to do for homework." The confused and yet delighted faces stared back dumbfounded. "I expect all of those questions to be done before I next have you, and read the relevant pages in your books. There will be a short practical exam on them. You are dismissed." 

And with that she left the astonished class and made her way to the dungeon, and Severus' private chambers. 

Harry raised one eyebrow and looked towards Hermione in an 'I told you so look.' 

"What?" Hermione asked condescendingly. "What is that look for?"

"Come off it. Something's obviously got to her." 

Hermione glared in his direction. "Maybe it was your idiotic taste in robes," she said scornfully, and flounced out of the classroom.

Ron rolled his eyes. "Merlin's sake, Harry! We've told Professor Dumbledore, there's nothing more we can do."

Harry remained quiet and thoughtful as he walked from the room, but Ron scowled.

"I don't like that look," he muttered, and followed his friends.

"Ah! Professor Phaon! I was wondering if I could have a moment of your time." Katrina swung around to see Albus Dumbledore smiling at her from the door of his office. The smile, she noted however, did not reach his usual twinkling eyes.

Deciding that Severus could wait, she nodded and followed him into his office. "Of course." 

"Take a seat." He motioned to one of the comfy armchairs, and she sank into one, declining the offer of a mint.

"What is this all about Albus?" she stated firmly.

He sat in the armchair that faced her, and an unusual grave expression appeared on his face. "I wanted to start off by saying that everything said within this room is confidential. No one else will hear this, you can trust me," Albus paused.

"I know I can trust you. Now please, what is this about?" Katrina asked.

"I also want you to understand that this is nothing to do with Severus. Whatever you have told him he has not told me."

Katrina froze. "Told you about what?"

"Its a very delicate situation. A student did a spell on you. A background spell." Albus held out his hand and gave her the ruby earring that Harry had taken from her room.

Katrina stiffened, and took the earring from him. "Who knows about this?" she asked glacially.

"The situation has been contained...."

"But for how long?" she interrupted his sentence brutally.

Albus sighed. "You will always have a place to stay here. You will be protected."

"No, Albus, I won't." She ran her hand through her hair in desperation. "You won't be able to prevent the Death Eaters from getting to me. And even if you do manage that, then what happens when the students' parents find out? You won't be able to keep me here, if there is no school."

Albus patted her on the shoulder gently. "Severus has been accused of things far worse than you and he is teaching here. The school will not be harmed through your presence. Severus and I are thinking of every possible solution. Sleep on this. We will do something."

Katrina nodded slowly and rose from the chair. "Thank you, Albus," she said, lost in thought, and went out of his office.

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

"Come!" Severus barked at the door, as the soft knocking disturbed him from his potion.

Albus entered the room and quietly shut the door behind him. "There is a situation that needs immediate attention. It concerns Professor Phaon."

Severus stiffened, but did not leave the potion. "What happened?" 

Albus sank onto a desk. "Some of the students found out about her past, there was nothing I could do."

"You told her?" Severus took in Albus' expression with dismay.

"Yes."

"How did she take it?"

"Perhaps a little too well."

Severus turned to face Albus, unable to disguise the flash of fear in his eyes. "You think she might do something drastic?"

Albus shook his head slowly. "I don't know what she will do. She needs a friend."

Anger showed in Severus' face. "Don't throw us together Albus. We may have shared something before, but not now."

"All she needs is a friend right now. I admit to... engineering certain situations, but I did not make you do anything you did not want to do. She needs someone, Severus, and only you can understand what she is going through."

Severus nodded curtly, cooled the potion he was working on and started to leave the room.

"Severus?" 

Severus halted his stride, and glanced at Albus questioningly.

"I don't have to tell you that she'll be fragile. Be careful."

Severus nodded curtly and left the dungeon classroom. He headed towards Katrina's rooms, not stopping even to remove house points from a shocked Gryffindor who was playing with his wand, and creating a small fireworks display in front of his face.

He reached her room, and stopped inches away from the door. Something wasn't quite right. He could feel a sinking feeling in his gut.

"Katrina!" he said loudly, knocking on the door. It swung open at the barest touch. He walked in, silently. "Katrina?" he said softly.

His face turned a pale white as he took in his surroundings. The room was devoid of life. Every scrap of her belongings had gone. "Katrina?" he yelled forcefully. "Katrina?"

He slammed his way into the bathroom, the kitchen, her study, everywhere, but it was too late, she had gone.

He approached the bedroom last, but it was the same as all the other rooms, empty.

He turned to leave, but something caught his eye. "What the..?" he muttered, and then strode across to the other side of the room, eager to see what had been left.

His fingers barely brushed against the smooth petals of the violet that sat on the window ledge. Then he frowned as he noticed the book underneath it. Flicking idly through the pages, he noticed a small bookmark, a piece of paper held between two pages. He read the small note and shuttered his face.

Severus,

Look after the plant. It needs tlc and sunshine. Don't let water touch the leaves, put a little in the pot and stand the plant in it. Enjoy the book, it helped me in the past, and I hope it will help you.

Severus looked at the front cover and an unconscious smile momentarily flitted across his face. Dumas' "The Count of Monte Cristo" was an obvious message in itself to the reader. How the main character was deceived and imprisoned by his so called friends, but how he impersonated a Count, reclaimed his land and bride, and turned out to be the victor by putting his past behind him through revenge. Severus picked up the pink plant, wrapped it in his cloak, and made his way back to his rooms. He dropped the book onto his bed, and placed the plant on a bedside table next to a lamp.

He sank onto his bed gratefully, and kicking off his shoes, he laid on the bed and stared at the ceiling. 

"She was better off without me," he tried to convince himself.

Severus woke up to a stabbing pain in his arm, and groaned. "Not now," he had enough time to say before apparating away.

He found himself in the same building as before, surrounded by a ring of Death Eaters. He stared back at them, assertively, but felt a sinking feeling when he heard a familiar voice.

"Severus Snape. Long time no see," Evaristus Devlin said coolly. He walked in front of Severus. "We've been waiting for you, and now the party can begin." He smiled sardonically and pointed his wand at him. "Crucio!"

A/N

Thanks to Annoriel and Kelest for reviewing chapter 13. Sorry it took me so long to post this one!


	15. Lost Time

Don't own anything recognisable from J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books.

****

Chapter 15 

****

**Lost Time**

"Harry!" Ron ran through the corridor followed closely by Hermione. "Where are you going?"

"Oh!" Hermione said shocked by the scene before her. They were stood in Katrina's old chambers and stared at the emptiness. "She's gone!"

"Just proves my point that she is a Death Eater," Harry muttered.

Ron's face turned a pale ash colour and he gasped.

"What?" Hermione asked.

"If she is a Death Eater, then she knows all of the security to the school. She could be on the way to He-who-must-not-be-named!" Ron gasped out. "We must tell Professor Dumbledore." 

"I see what you mean." Albus Dumbledore stroked his beard pensively. "However, I don't think that Katrina is a Death Eater spy."

The three friends looked at each other shocked. "What do you mean, Professor?" Hermione asked tentatively.

"Her leaving has come to me as a shock, but I must admit a tiny part of me was expecting it." Albus sighed and leaned back in his chair. "I had the chance to talk to her before she left. I told her about your situation, and she seemed more concerned that she would put Hogwarts in jeopardy than anything else."

"It could have been an act," Harry said stubbornly. 

"True, true," Albus admitted. "But you were the ones who saw her life before Hogwarts, her childhood, her upbringing. Did it seem like she was enjoying being part of the Death Eater way of life?"

That made the three young wizards think for a moment, but they didn't get a chance to answer as a ferocious knocking came from Albus' office door.

"Come!" he called, mildly irritated by the intrusion. 

Professor McGonagall entered with two students in tow.

"Yes? What can I help you with?" Albus asked.

"It appears that Professor Snape hasn't turned up to his morning lecture," Minerva McGonagall answered, with a touch of urgency in her voice. "Neither is he answering knocks on his door. He didn't come down to dinner last night either." She paused, and her eyes flashed fear. "It appears the last time anyone saw him was his last lesson, just before you went to see him."

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

Snape came round to the sound of muttered hisses. His eyesight was blurred by the bruising around his eye, leaving it half-closed. The taste of congealed blood filled his mouth and he remembered, as if it were a dream, the events of the last few hours. Or at least he hoped it was only a few hours, the confusion in his head had made him lose all track of time. When he managed to move slightly without his head swimming and when he could bear the pain, he scanned the surroundings. 

He was tied tightly to a wooden post in the ground and he shut his eyes. He had seen many people in this situation before and none of them had been good. In fact, none of the people who were ever in this situation were seen again. He surveyed the background again coolly, his mind working furiously planning possible routes to escape, and possible strategic plans that Evaristus would believe.

"Our guest is awake!" Evaristus drew the Death Eaters' attention to Severus, who, with a lot of effort, straightened his back and looked them in the eye.

"Evaristus," Snape rasped, then spat blood at the feet of the obvious interloper, and made his voice sound offhand. "What brings you here?" 

Devlin approached the wooden pole and grasped Severus' chin, pulling it up so he could see him. "Well, I don't know if you've heard, but apparently someone saw my daughter here." Evaristus' eyes never left Severus' face as he spoke the words, but if he was hoping for a reaction he was disappointed.

"Your daughter?" Severus' mind whirled. "I didn't think you had a daughter, at least that's what you said the last time I saw you. And if you recall, I was looking for her as well. Surely if I had found her I would have returned her to you?"

Evaristus smiled, and held a glass of water for Severus to drink out of; he took a couple of cautious sips.

"Thank you for your kind hospitality," Severus smiled derisively at Evaristus.

"Are you sure you haven't seen my daughter?" he asked again, while his hand rested over his shoulder.

"Haven't I already answered that question?" Severus mocked.

Evaristus stood up, and walked behind the group of Death Eaters. "Let the fun commence," he said smiling. 

The group advanced, a bloodthirsty look in their sunken eyes.

 ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

Harry and Ron were sent in the direction of the Gryffindor dormitories to find the Marauder's Map. Hermione and Professor McGonagall went down to the dungeons to seek out Severus, and Dumbledore searched through spell books, muttering to himself as he did so.

Albus reached the library first, looking again through more books, closely followed by Ron and Harry.

"Professor Snape and Professor Phaon aren't on the grounds," Ron called out to Albus, who nodded, selected a book, and brought it to the table.

Hermione entered the library out of breath, closely followed by members of the teaching staff.

"No one is in the dungeons," Hermione answered the unasked question in Albus' eyes. "Professor McGonagall is sorting out his class."

"Good, good," Albus muttered while searching through the pages of the spell book.

"What is going on Albus?" Remus Lupin asked, the other teachers remaining silent to hear the answer to the question.

"Professor Phaon and Professor Snape have gone missing." Albus slammed the book closed and exclaimed. "Why can you never find the spell you are looking for?"

"What spell do you want?" Professor Flitwick asked, heading towards the shelves.

"Something to locate them," Albus muttered, and disappeared into the masses of bookshelves.

The other teachers followed Albus' example and started to search through the books, all of them paused when Harry yelped, and sped out of the library.

"Where are you off to Harry?" Hermione called after him.

"I have an idea! Wait there." He yelled over his shoulder.

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

She stared at herself in the mirror of the tiny bathroom and grimaced. She then straightened her clothes and smiled at the mirror. "Hi. I'm Eve Jones. Pleased to meet you." 

She waved what looked like a wooden twig over her empty hand, and a passport appeared as if from nowhere. The twig also vanished, and in its place was a tube of lipstick.

She sighed and looked at her reflection. "Time to move on," she said brightly, but the cheerfulness didn't reach her eyes. In fact she was crying.

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

They had left him, but he knew they would be back. The routine of torture, question, torture, question was familiar to Severus. 

He was famed for it. 

This time however, to the disappointment of Evaristus Devlin, it was not working. 

_'I cannot reveal anything,' _Severus chanted in his mind like a mantra. The only thing that was keeping him silent was the brutality that Evaristus was using on Severus, and the horrors Severus had seen Evaristus projecting onto his wife.

Avery squatted down next to Severus and said in a sociable tone. "Why don't you tell him what you want? Eh?"

Severus squinted through his good eye at Avery. "What am I supposed to do? Lie?"

Avery smiled as if they were sharing a private joke, but his voice took on a more threatening tone. "You know. I liked the look of that girl you had in that closet."

Severus stiffened when he realised that he was talking about Katrina, and looked closely at Avery, who stood up and circled Severus. "Yes, she was good-looking wasn't she? Soft brown hair, baby blue eyes." He stopped, crouched down and pushed his face up to Severus' face. "I wonder what she'd be like tied to this pole, crying, begging me for mercy." Severus calmed down when he realised that Avery didn't know that she was Devlin's daughter. 

"I might look her up. What do you say?"

"She wasn't that good actually," Severus retorted calmly. "I've known better."

Avery's face screwed into a grin. "Well, we'll see won't we? Probably sooner than you think."

"I don't think so," Severus said coolly. "I haven't seen her since then."

Avery waved something in Severus' face that made his pale face turn white, and his body go into shock. 

"Well this is a piece of her hair and I feel like summoning her! What do you think?"

A/N Hiya!!! Not long to go and I promise that Severus will get what he deserves!!!! (That sounded as if I was going to kill him off, but I'm not going to!!)

Thanks to Kelest and Annoriel for reviewing!


	16. Haven't We Seen That Somewhere Before?

Don't own anything recognisable from J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books.

Chapter 16 

****

**Haven't we seen that somewhere before?**

"No, no, no, no." Hermione stood up exasperated. "None of these books have anything we want!"

They had been in the library for most of the night, and over three-quarters of the books had been discarded. None of them had contained what they wanted.

"This is pointless!" Ron exclaimed. "Shouldn't we be out there looking for them?" 

Hermione glanced towards the door to the library. "Shouldn't Harry be back by now?" 

Ron rolled his eyes. "He has his secret idea. Who are we to stop him?"

At that moment Harry raced back into the library. "Found it!" He exclaimed holding up what appeared to be a gold bowl.

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

Severus' heart sank as he watched Evaristus put together the last parts of the summoning spell. 

"Not long now, and the happy reunion will be complete." Avery said menacingly. "Then you will tell us what we need to know about his daughter. Maybe more."

Only Severus saw the irony of Avery's statement. It would be a reunion all right. A family reunion.

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

"It's the Gniweiv bowl!" Hermione exclaimed. "What a brilliant idea!"

"We can look at Sna... Professor Snape and Professor Phaon to find out where they are!"

Albus nodded, and took the bowl off of Harry. He placed it in the middle of a round table so everyone could see into it and pronounced slowly. "Mehtweiv..." he paused, "Who do we find first?"

"Professor Phaon." Harry said seriously. "Professor Snape is strong, he can take care of himself."

The others nodded in approval, and Albus approached the bowl again. "Mehtweiv Professor Katrina Phaon."

The bowl coloured and shapes and images whirled around the bowl. They disappeared as soon as they came, and the bowl remained clear.

"I don't understand." Ron asked stupefied. "Why hasn't it worked?"

Albus nodded knowingly, and prepared again. "Mehtweiv Fay Devlin."

The bowl flashed colours again, this time the blurry images sharpened and focused on a point.

"The next train arriving from platform five will be departing shortly stopping at..." The voice faded and a woman appeared in the centre of the water. She was wearing small sunglasses perched on the end of her nose, she had brown eyes and short spiky bleached blonde hair. She appeared to be reading a trashy novel, one found in most railway stations' bookstores, but she occasionally looked up and scanned the surrounding casually. 

"Her hair's been dyed, but it looks like Professor Phaon." Hermione whispered.

"She's running again, isn't she?" Ron asked Dumbledore.

"I believe so." Dumbledore answered quietly.

"Are we going to try and stop her?" Harry asked quietly, his eyes focused completely on the ex-professor.

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

She couldn't explain it. No one on the train platform was looking at her and no one she recognised was near her, but she still had the funny feeling in the pit of her stomach. She was being watched.

Katrina (or Eve as she must get used to being called) ran a hand through her brittle, bleached hair. She scratched the back of her neck – where the remnants of her haircut were making her skin itch – and cautiously glanced at the people on the platform again. It was a normal English muggle train station, with benches against walls, which ran parallel to the rough somewhat faded yellow line, which a few people were standing behind. At the moment it was almost empty, only a few shoppers were waiting for their train to arrive, but Eve knew that soon the commuters would fill the platform, wearing their black or grey suits, carrying the trademark briefcase, and yelling into their mobile telephones. She watched a lonely crisp packet waft around the station, picking up speed and height now and again, but dropping back down. The muted (and often double-dutch speaking) announcer squawked commands at the waiting few, letting Eve know that her train would be arriving soon, to take her far away from here. She tucked a small piece of paper into the book she had bought from the station's store and stood up. She stretched her arms and stood on her tiptoes; who knows when she would be able to stand up straight after getting on the train. She put her backpack onto the bench she was sat on and put her book in the outer compartment, checking her CD player had enough batteries to survive the long journey she had ahead.

Swinging her bag onto her back she checked her pocket for the ticket, her purse and her new identity. You could never be too careful with pickpockets around nowadays. 

A small old woman approached her. "Is the next one late?" She asked in the voice you use when approaching a stranger. 

"I don't think..."

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

"We cannot do anything. If she is to return then it is up to her." Dumbledore said sadly, and looked into the bowl.

Suddenly, without warning Katrina disappeared. The train station was still there, the bench on which she was sat was still there, but she wasn't.

"What happened?" Ron asked.

Albus shook his head, and continued to stare at the scene in the bowl. "She's in the middle of a very public place, she wouldn't have disappeared like that."

Remus nodded in agreement. "Look at the people who were around her." He motioned to the bystanders who were pointing and asking about Katrina. "They saw her go. Any well trained witch would have been able to do a distraction spell."

"What about Professor Snape?" Hermione asked.

Albus nodded. "Mehtweiv Professor Severus Snape!"

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

Whatever spark of hope that Severus had disappeared as the form of a young woman appeared in a ball of glowing light.

For the last few hours his fears had been unsuccessfully alleviated, perhaps the spell would fail, perhaps the hair is not Katrina's, and the one hope that kept him going perhaps the spell doesn't exist and it's all a bluff designed to get him to talk.

The white light made him wince in pain; his eyes were unaccustomed to the brightness, when he was able to see again he looked at the woman before him. She was wearing casual combats and a top with a backpack on her back, and... hope flared in him again as he took in the blonde crop of hair. It was short-lived when his eyes made contact with hers.

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

Eve stood blinking in the middle of a luminous ball of light. One moment she had been in the middle of a train station next... She looked around her, ignoring the flashing lights in front of her eyes. She was in the middle of a piece of once grassy land. It was now filled with death. The weeds had been left to roam free and had covered everything in sight, in the distance a decrepit building stood; something about it jogged her memory. Turning in a circle she looked at the entire scene. And gasped in horror when she realised that the bloodied and bruised man in front of her was Severus.

"No!!" She screamed and raced towards him. "Severus!" 

"Hold her." A familiar voice said, but she did not place it, her fear was so heightened.

Severus moaned in pain as two Death Eaters imprisoned Eve's arms in theirs and dragged her kicking and screaming back towards what looked like a sacrificial altar, they turned her so she kneeled facing the altar and Severus.

"You've changed your hair." Avery said maliciously, stroking her collarbone gently, threateningly. "Never mind my love. I can live with it."

Eve stared into Severus' eyes, but all she saw was despair.

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

Harry sunk down onto his knees.

"Are you okay Harry?" Ron said alarmed, but all Harry heard was a mess of disordered words as the blackness overtook him.

"Harry!" Albus' voice brought him round. "What's wrong?" 

Harry rubbed the lightning scar on his forehead. "I should never have done the spell." He said guiltily. "None of this would have happened. Professor Phaon would not have left and...."

"Yes it would have Harry. You know as well as I do that that is Professor Phaon's father. He would have come for her sooner or later."

"I would have preferred later to sooner." Ron mumbled under his breath.

Dumbledore ignored him and continued to speak to Harry. "We might have had a little more time to prepare, but we couldn't have done much more than what we are doing now."

Harry smiled half-heartedly, but he still blamed himself. 

"We have to get back to the matter at hand." Remus said quietly, laying a hand on Harry's shoulder.

Albus looked at the scene in the bowl worriedly. "I don't see how any good can come of this." He muttered anxiously. He turned towards Remus. "We must find them."  
"But how?" Hermione asked, gripping the edge of the table in fear.

"I will consult the council." Albus said determinedly. "Remus I want you to try and find them. Maybe you can sniff them out. Harry, Hermione and Ron, you keep looking at that bowl and update us if anything changes. Keep your eyes out for clues." Dumbledore issued commands to the other members of staff and stalked from the room, the other Professors followed.

"Well, who'd have thought we'd go to all this trouble for Professor Snape?" Ron asked, as he turned his attention back to the gold bowl.

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

"Well, well." The familiar voice said coolly to Eve. "So you are the new girl who has stolen Severus' affection. "It once belonged to my daughter you know." Evaristus Devlin walked in front of Eve's face and she stiffened in fear as she recognised him.

"No!" She whimpered.

But Evaristus misunderstood. "Yes. She did hold his affection. And now you are going to help me get her back."

Severus looked fiercely at Eve, willing her not to say anything, and she relaxed slightly. Her father had not recognised her.

"Come now Severus. I know you held her on a pedestal, and she could not have escaped from me alone." He gripped Severus by the hair and yanked his head upwards. "Tell me Severus. Where is she?" 

"I don't know. I haven't seen her since the first night we met." Severus gritted his teeth and said coolly.

Evaristus laughed cruelly. "I know you are lying to me boy."

Severus lifted his head and looked Evaristus straight in the eye. "Why would I lie about this?"

Devlin approached the altar and took a black cloth from the floor. "It is too late for you Severus." He said calmly, while unwrapping whatever lay in the cloth. "You we will kill for betraying the Lord Voldemort. But tell me where my daughter is..." he paused and looked at the sacrificial dagger he held in his hand. 

"...and I shall spare this young lady's life."

A/N

Hiya to all who have reviewed!!! Including Paris (Hi!), KR (wow, 2 reviews for one chapter!!), Annoriel (Hi!!), and Kelest (I hope I have satisfied your curiosity for the moment!!)

P.S. For those who don't know, the Gniweiv ("Viewing" spelt backwards) Bowl was in my first story… It is supposed to show the person you ask to show, without them knowing, kind of like a scrying bowl.

Love to you all!!!

See ya at the same time next week!! (ish…)

Krusty.


	17. Sacrifice

Don't own anything recognisable from J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books.

Chapter 17 

****

**Sacrifice.**

****

"No!" Eve whimpered as the dagger reflected the moonlight onto her face. She struggled to move, but the invisible magical ropes holding her to the altar would not move.

"No!" Severus roared as Evaristus approached Eve with a satisfied smile on his face.

He toyed with the dagger and glanced towards Severus. "Have you changed your mind? Have you seen my daughter?"

Severus looked at Eve, and she saw his strength melt away. "No. No I haven't changed my mind."

"Please." Eve whimpered. "Please don't kill me."

Evaristus grabbed her chin and forced her to look into the eyes of Severus. "It's him you should be pleading with. Only he can save your life."

"Hey! Wait a minute. I thought you said I could have the girl." Avery whined. 

Devlin glared at the death eater. "Later, I need her first." He turned to Severus again. This is your last chance. Tell me and I shall spare the girl."

Severus' shoulders drooped and he looked into Eve's eyes with grief. "She was dead from the moment she arrived here."

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

"Professor Dumbledore!" Harry yelled as he raced down the corridor towards Albus' office. "Professor!"

He rounded the corner and found himself face to face with Albus. 

"She is, she is," He gasped for air. "She is in trouble."

"Calm down Harry." Albus instructed sharply, but seeing the urgency on Harry's face he began walking swiftly down the corridor towards the library where the Gniweiv bowl was situated. "Tell me as we go."

"Professor Phaon is in trouble. Devlin is threatening to kill her. But I think we have a clue to where they are."

The library doors burst open before Harry had a chance to touch them and they marched into the room and straight up to the bowl.   
Nearly-Headless Nick had joined Ron and Hermione in looking at the bowl, and they stopped talking as soon as they entered.

"Look Professor! That looks like a sign, and we can read it!" Hermione said excitedly. "We wrote it down before it faded again." She said and showed Albus the notebook. "If only we knew where it was!"

Albus' face darkened in anger and horror, and he muttered. "I know where it is."

Harry looked up at him and nearly gasped at the pure anger on his face. "You do?" He whispered. 

"Yes." He said abruptly, and paced around the room. "The question is, how do we distract them from Severus and Katrina, long enough to save them?"

"That's not the only thing Professor." Ron added. "He's gonna kill Professor Phaon if Professor Snape doesn't tell him where Fay Devlin is, but she is Fay Devlin!" Ron said worriedly.

"Then perhaps you should give him what he wants!" Nearly-Headless Nick said.

Everyone turned to look at him in confusion, but he merely beaconed them closer, and told them of his plan.

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

The knife cut into the skin on Eve's wrists cleanly, and blood seeped from the wound. Eve whimpered and tears stung her eyes as she saw Severus' ashen face. She could feel the warm flow oozing into her clothing and making it stick to her skin, and the bursts of blood quickened as her heartbeat increased through fear.

"Severus?" She whispered. 

"Stay with me." She heard the hoarse voice, but could not bring herself to look at him, the futility of the situation bringing a bout of depression.

"STAY WITH ME!" Severus screamed. "Katrina, look at me."

She raised her head at the desperate request, and forced herself to stare into his eyes. "It does not hurt, Severus." She lied unconvincingly.

"It will do soon." Avery muttered menacingly in her ear, and she felt the warm stale breath against her spine. She shuddered.

"Leave her alone!" Severus said gruffly.

Eve felt her head being pulled back and felt the sharp, cold edge of the knife piercing a point of her throat. "You could have prevented this Severus." The voice of Evaristus floated above her head from behind her.

"Wait." She whispered. "I am Fay."

"Fay?" She heard the shock in Evaristus' voice.

Severus looked at Eve in horror. "No Katrina, don't."

"Fay. I knew you would come if I had Severus." Evaristus said in a sinister way. "And now I have you just where I want you."

Eve prepared her self for what was to come. She knew her father's tortured ideas of love. But Evaristus let Eve's face fall hard into the altar, and she felt the crunch as a bone in her nose broke.

She eased her head gently off the altar, and saw… Herself.

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

"Stay calm now." Hermione/Fay whispered to herself, and mentally sent a prayer up to the heavens.

She had volunteered to be the one that had the altered faces charm cast on, as the person had to be of the same gender as the charmed image, and Professor McGonagall would be needed in the fighting, but she was dreading her decision now. She saw Evaristus heading towards her and realised that he had fallen for the trap. 

"Just a couple more steps." She murmured to herself. 

"Fay." Evaristus said coldly, stopping short of the target.

Hermione nodded, and hoped he would come closer to her; they needed Evaristus to be separated further from the group in order for the plan to work.

"Well Fay. Is there anything you want to say to me?" He asked. 

"What about them?" Avery asked hesitantly.

"You can have them now." Evaristus said menacingly, his dark eyes glinting with satisfaction at the sight of Fay.

Realising that she had no time left, and watching Avery cross to the two professors with evil intent, Hermione took a couple of steps backwards hoping to entice Evaristus forward.

It worked. 

"Now!" She screamed, and all of a sudden the garden lit up with a large bright light.

"What the…?" She heard Avery yell. 

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

The bright light blinded Eve, and she winced as she turned away. A familiar presence appeared behind her and she shrank back towards the altar thinking it was Avery.

"Katrina, it's me." Remus said quietly. "We've got to get you out of here." 

"Severus?" She asked weakly.

"Don't worry, we're not leaving anyone here."

She looked around as Remus softly chanted the removal spell, which would free her of the bonds, worried about Severus she looked towards him, and saw Professor McGonagall releasing him from his restraints.

"That got it!" Remus exclaimed, and gently, but hurriedly, pulled her to her feet. "We have to go, now!" 

"Who…?" Eve said, motioning at the figure of Fay.

"Hermione. Now quickly. Go in that direction." He motioned towards a mound of earth, and she could just about see the figures of Dumbledore and Flitwick, chanting in unison, keeping the light spell active. Harry and Ron were stood between them and the Death Eaters protecting them as best they could. 

"Where…?" Eve asked, but Sirius had disappeared.

A large looming figure approached her and she gasped as she realised Avery was pointing a wand at her and leering threateningly.

"You thought your friends could save you?" He asked. "Petri.."

Remus appeared form nowhere and jumped onto Avery, ripping the wand from his hand.

Eve screamed, and backed away from the sight. 

"Ugghhh." She groaned as she fell over something in the ground. She scrambled up and saw her bag.

"Accio Wand!" She yelled pointing at the bag, and a lipstick floated away from the bag, growing longer in shape until it reached wand shape, and touched her hand.

She healed her blood-dripping wrists, and looked around.

Ron and Harry were coping well with the Death Eaters, and McGonagall and Severus had reached the mound. McGonagall was tending to the worst of Severus' injuries. Remus was still battling Avery on the ground, pounding into him with his fists. But… Hermione was nowhere to be seen.

"Hermione?" She yelled at the Professors, but the looks of shock and horror on their faces told her all she needed to know.

Again she looked around, and that's when the sinking feeling appeared in her stomach. Evaristus was missing too.

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

Hermione was running through a part of the garden which was full of trees, she presumed it was once an orchard. She was trying to get away from Evaristus Devlin, who was slowly gaining on her.

It had been a mistake to run, she knew that now, but what else could she have done. In all the confusion everyone had forgotten about her.

"Fay?" She heard the singsong voice, and she dropped down into the bushes. 

"Oh, Fay?" The voice became louder and she willed her lungs to stop breathing so heavily.

"I found you once, I can find you again." He added, and she could see the soles of his shoes from where she was hiding. "All I have to do is find Severus Snape, and there you will be." He paused and she saw his shoes turn towards her hiding place. "You always were too soft, too sentimental. I tried and tried to create the perfect daughter, but no."

It was too late before she realised that Devlin knew exactly where she was hiding, and she attempted to run again, but he caught her by the arm, and drew her close to him.

"Finally. Now you will pay for running away." Evaristus said warningly and raised his wand at Hermione/Fay menacingly. 

"No!" Hermione/Fay screamed in fear.

"Stop." A sharp voice intruded. Hermione looked up and saw Katrina stood before her, her wand pointed at Evaristus Devlin, out of the corner of her eye she saw movement and realised that Severus had followed Katrina.

Evaristus looked up at the bloodstained Eve. "I will kill her." 

"I will not let you do this father." Katrina said, and as she neared him her hair grew longer, and turned a deep shade of black.

"Fay?" His face turned ashen, and he let go of Hermione/Fay, who ended the altered faces charm. "NO!" He screamed and pointed his wand at Eve.

"Yes, father." She spat out the word. "I have been here all along." She neared the retreating figure of Evaristus, who was petrified at the look of angry insanity that he saw in her eyes. "And by the way, I am not known as Fay any longer." She looked at Severus, who had positioned himself behind Evaristus. "I am Katrina Phaon, Substitute Professor of History at Hogwarts, and former Death-Eater."

Evaristus' wand flew out of his hand towards Katrina, who caught it, and pointed it at him…

A/N

Thanks To Squirrel and KR for reviewing.

Squirrel: Please stop sending sloppy kisses. I appreciate the sentiment, but I keep on having to wash the drool from my face. It's not nice….

KR: I like long reviews!! You're welcome for commenting on your review, and are you sure you're okay??? You keep falling off your chair!!! Would you like me to phone an ambulance for you? I'll make the next chapter REALLY boring, so you don't get any more bruises, okay???

Love to you all

Krusty.


	18. Snapelets?

Don't own anything recognisable from J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books.

****

**Chapter 18**

****

**Snapelets???**

She sat in the stuffy room and wished, but not for the first time, that she wasn't there, that she was in her cool classroom in Hogwarts. She clasped her hands in her lap to prevent herself from running a finger around the collar of her crisp white blouse. The grey tailored suit she wore was stifling, but a necessary evil as she faced down the ten stern looking people sat opposite her.

Her now long black hair sat in a bun, and she wore her glasses to give an impression of studiousness and control.

She had been sat on the solitary chair in the middle of the room for a good two hours now, facing down the questions and blank stares from the judges in front of her. They were to judge whether she was to be guilty or innocent of Death Eater crimes.

The woman at the head of the table narrowed her eyes and said haughtily. "You were in the middle of the forest and had just confronted your father. What exactly happened next?"

She breathed in deeply and said, in calm tones. "I disarmed him using the Accio spell, and motioned for Hermione to get behind me….."

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

Flustered Hermione raced behind Katrina to Albus, Minerva and Severus who had followed her when they too had realised the danger she was in. 

Katrina kept a steady gaze of hatred on her father, and kept a tight hold on his wand in case he tried anything. 

He stared at her in disbelief and disgust. "Hogwarts?? You teach at that MUDBLOOD School? I am ashamed of you Fay."

She narrowed her eyes in anger. "I just told you my name is Katrina."

He smirked. "You can change your name as much as you like. You are still a loyal servant to our lord, and always will be."

Katrina jutted her jaw. Images of how she could get her retribution went through her head. "I wonder. Will you enjoy the torture spells you yourself have used?"

She stiffened as Severus came over to her. "You may not want to hear this, but listen anyway. I don't care what happens to him. Kill him, torture him it makes no difference to me." He paused and put a hand on her shoulder. "But it will make _you_ change. You will become exactly what he wanted you to become. A person who revels in the thought of revenge and torture is exactly what a loyal Death Eater is…"

She turned to him, and her eyes filled with hate and sadness. "Don't take this from me Severus."

"Ask yourself this. Would Katrina Phaon do this? Would she be considering murder if she had never met Exaristus Devlin? All I ask you to do is think about the future."

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

"You were considering murder?" The older woman asked sharply, interfering in her thoughts.

She bit her lip. "Yes, yes I was." She saw the panel look at each other, shuffle slightly and watched as the young man, the scribe, at the end of the table write this down. "You must understand, he mistreated me for my entire childhood. He physically and mentally abused me in the process of creating the perfect daughter according to him." She shook her head in despair. "At some point in your life you must have experienced some sort of desire for revenge. Someone hurt you, or neglected you and you think "If I could get my hands on them for one moment… If I could just make them experience what they did or are doing to me, then that would make everything better." Surely you can appreciate that?"

An older man nodded slowly. "Please continue…"

"Where was I? Okay… Severus said….

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

"All I ask you to do is think about the future."

She looked at him desperately. "The future?"

"Yes, the future. Your future, My future…." He paused and scowled at Harry, Hermione, Ron and Remus who had appeared. "_Our_ future." He finished reluctantly.

A glint of hope appeared in Katrina's eyes. "Our future?" She asked hesitantly. 

She looked long and hard at Evaristus, raised her chin in defiance. "I have said this before and I will say it one more time. I am no longer your daughter. You mean nothing to me. As far as I'm concerned my past is dead – long dead." Turning, she smiled at Severus. "And my future has nothing to do with you."

"You bitch! I will not go to Azkaban because you are too weak to finish me off!" Evaristus flicked his wrist and his wand flew from Katrina's hand to his. "Avada…"

"Petrificus Totalus!" Ron screamed, and watched in amazement as Evaristus stiffened and fell to the floor like a board. "It worked?" He asked in amazement, staring at his wand. "It worked!" He said jubilantly.

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

"…And that's when the Aurors arrived. Albus had contacted them in the hopes that they would be able to take some of the Death Eaters into custody. Unfortunately one of the Death Eaters a man called Avery had vanished by the time they arrived, but Evaristus Devlin and a couple of others were detained." She hesitated. "That is all that happened."

The older woman looked at a few pieces of paper in front of her, the man sat next to her leaned over and whispered. "It is almost exactly what the other witnesses said."

She shot him a dark look and turned to the other jurors. "Are there any other questions?"

At the dissenting murmur she raised her gavel. "We shall…"

"How did they find you?" The scribe behind the desk asked, and was met with an angry glare from the woman.

"It is a fair question." The woman conceded stiffly. "Continue."

"I wasn't sure at the time." She said ruefully. "I asked afterwards, and apparently Volde…" She stopped at the look of horror in the young man's eyes. "…He-who-must-not-be-named…" She concluded apologetically. "...Used to live there as a child. Professor Dumbledore recognised a sign, it said "Little Hangleton"."

The young man nodded. "Yes of course." He scribbled on a piece of paper furiously for a moment, and bit the end of the pen in concentration.

She again revelled in the fact that the ministry of Magic could hire such a young-looking person.

"We shall adjourn then." The woman fixed Katrina with a baleful stare. "Remain within these premises. Someone will be sent to find you when we come to our decision."

Katrina was ushered into a separate room, where she immediately opened a window and breathed in the cool air. She frowned when she heard a conflict outside the door, but a wide smile appeared on her face when she heard Severus saying in his most intimidating voice. "What exactly are you going to do to stop me?"

The door opened, and he frowned at her flushed appearance. "Well?"

"They are making a decision now." She sat and clasped her hands in worry.

Severus sat beside her and, in an unusual act of public display, placed his hand over hers. He leaned in and breathed in her ear. "No matter what happens, I will stand by you." He coughed, stood up and began pacing when footsteps were heard approaching the room.

The young scribe opened the door. "If you would like to come with me."

"So soon?" Katrina asked worriedly.

The man nodded. "Come with me please."

Katrina looked at Severus, who merely raised an eyebrow. "Go." He said roughly.

She went back to the room that she had just left, and nervously perched on the chair as the jurors entered.

The old woman looked directly at her and frowned. 

"A verdict has been reached. I declare you a reformed Death Eater." The woman stated less than happily. "No charges will be brought against you. Documentation will be created and sent to you, and you will be able to practice witchcraft again."

She nodded and gave the panel a small swift smile, only her shaking hands revealed how relieved she was. "Thank you, thankyou so much."

They nodded, simultaneously, and turned to leave the room, but the young man stopped suddenly. "What would you like to be called on this documentation?"

"Katrina Phaon." She smiled. "However it won't be for too long." 

The man looked confused. "I don't understand."

"You will do." She said, and recalled the moment when Severus asked her to be his wife.

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

They sat in the dungeons of Hogwarts, after apparating from the graveyard to the school.

Katrina bit her lip and looked nervously over at Severus who was concocting a batch of painkillers (without chokecherry) with an added ingredient to soothe and heal.

"Severus?" She said hesitantly, and then shook her head in disgust at the sound of her voice. "You mentioned something about us having a future…" She stated firmly. "…And I wanted to know what you meant."

He looked over at her in disgust. "I thought you were different…" She blanched at the negative tone of his voice, but he continued. "I thought you would at least have a small amount of intelligence, but it appears you are no better that a first year Gryffindor."

She gaped at him. "Are you saying I'm stupid?" She ranted at him.

"Well if you did not know what I meant." He said sarcastically. "Do I have to spell it out for you?"

She gripped her hands into fists and roared at him. "That would be nice yes!"

"Fine!" And before she knew what he was doing he had muttered a locking spell on his door, and was on his knees in front of her. "I hope you realise what an undignified position this is." 

She gaped even more.

He coughed, and gritted his teeth. "Will you marry me and forget all of this nonsense. I don't want you out of my sight again."

She slid down the chair and knelt in front of him. "You're asking me to marry you?"

He looked at her as if she was stupid. "No. I enjoy kneeling on the floor."

She smiled. "Severus, do me a favour?"

He looked at her in disgust. "What now?"

"Shut up." She said and kissed him. "Of course I'll marry you."

A ghost of a smile crossed his face and a box appeared in his hand.

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

A spark of realisation appeared in the young man's eyes. "Oh! So you will be..?"

"Mrs Katrina Snape." She smiled and looked down at the small silver ring, with a red ruby stone set in it. "And very happy about it to!"

The colour drained from the man's face. "Snape?" 

"Yes. As in Severus."

"Severus Snape." The man collapsed in his chair, looking at Katrina in disbelief.

"Would it be easier for me to get the documents now and change them, or for you to send the altered documents by owl?" She asked oblivious to the reaction of the man, and smiling at her husband to be, who had just opened the door.

"Owl?" He stuttered.

Katrina stood up and offered him her hand. "Then I'll wish you a good day. Send them to Hogwarts, I'll get them eventually." She said breezily and opened the door. 

The young man followed her, and watched as Severus carried her bag for her as they walked down the corridor.

"Mrs Severus Snape? What will happen next? Little baby Snapelets?"

A/N And thus the story ends!!!!! If you have any comments, suggestions or reviews I would love to hear them!!

*sighs* I hope you enjoyed it!!! This time next week I hope to start posting Remus and Lunar (see B&SB for details) Black's story!!! So please stay with me, the first chapter's a good'un!!!

Thanks to everyone who has reviewed this story. Special thanks to:

Nekohebi  I don't like people dying in my stories!! I'm a happy ending kind of a gal!!!

Iluvlegolas (me too!!)  Severus and Katrina have got it on!! I will be mentioning to them in my next story so *gets on knees, looks really pathetic and begs* please review!!!!

KR  Was this post fast enough for you?? I try and do it every week!!! Thanks for not falling off your chair!!! I really worry about you!!! Keep thinking "RICE" Rest Ice Compression Elevation and you should be fine in no time!!! I hope this chapter is not boring!!! And that you find some sort of seatbelt attachment for your chair!!!

Kelest  Thanks for staying with me, nice to see you back again!!! Hope ff.net stops playing evil tricks on you!!!!

Love to you all….

See ya next week!!!

Krusty

xxx


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